Rosie O’Donnell responds to Kathy Griffin’s Kimmel snub accusations: “Shoulda called me, honey”
Griffin says she’s upset that friend Rosie O’Donnell didn’t invite her to be a guest on the Kimmel Show this week.
Mark
Rosie O’Donnell made a triumphant return to TV hosting this week. She’s filling in for Jimmy Kimmel while he takes a summer break.
Many viewers have expressed delight at seeing O’Donnell back on their screens. However, it’s prompted more mixed feelings in one person: her friend Kathy Griffin.
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At the start of the week, Griffin posted a photo of herself and O’Donnell and expressed excitement at seeing her pal on Kimmel.
“So excited to watch my pal, the brilliant @rosie o’Donnell subbing in all week for the equally brilliant and all around great guy @jimmykimmellive … I’m going to watch every minute. Go Rosie! 
”
However, yesterday, Griffin posted her latest “Talk Your Head Off” video to her YouTube channel. In the 20-minute video, she explains why she’s feeling personally hurt by O’Donnell.
It boils down to two things: Recent comments O’Donnell made on a podcast relating to Griffin, and the fact that Griffin was not invited to appear on the Kimmel show this week.
“This one’s really personal”
“I am asking for your pity,” Griffin begins. “I’m going to be open and honest and hope you understand … This one’s really personal. I’m just going to come out and say it. Are you ready? It’s embarrassing to say, but I have to tell you guys ‘cause we’re friends. My feelings are really hurt that I was not invited to go on Rosie’s week of the Jimmy Kimmel show.”
Griffin and O’Donnell have been friends since the 1990s. Recently, Griffin says they were both in New York City performing. Griffin offered O’Donnell and her child, Clay, a lift back to Los Angeles on her private jet.
The comedians spent the whole flight catching up, and O’Donnell mentioned her invitation to guest host the Kimmel show.
Griffin said she thought it was a great idea and mentioned that she’d love to be a guest. She thought it would be a great interview given the things they have in common: They’re both female comedians who have majorly irked the President. She says O’Donnell did not respond to this suggestion.
The controversial head photo
Besides not getting an invite to appear on the show, Griffin says she was also hurt to learn about a recent podcast appearance by O’Donnell. On The Tangle with Kyle Ridley, O’Donnell talked about the infamous incident in 2017 when Griffin faced backlash over a photo session. In the resulting images, Griffin held a fake, bloody, decapitated head that resembled Donald Tr*mp.
Griffin lost a significant amount of work in the aftermath.
“I got a couple calls a few days ago from friends just asking me if I had seen a podcast where Rosie was saying things that were not supportive of the Tr*mp photo,” Griffin said. “And I was genuinely surprised and hurt and shocked because she was, you know, with me, and my friend, and we communicated quite a bit during that time. I consider her someone that has been a champion of my career, and I will always love her for that. Not everyone is that way, and I certainly have championed her tenfold.”
Griffin then played the podcast clip.
O’Donnell said she “felt horrible for what he [Tr*mp] did to Kathy Griffin. I didn’t agree with her choice of having that decapitated mask. I know that she was doing it for shock value and, you know, wanted to cause a ruckus, but I don’t think she was ready for the kind of torment that he put her through for so many years. And I think she did suffer a lot and went through some very dark times.”
You can watch the segment below.
Griffin says of O’Donnell’s comments, “I don’t know why she did that. I would never have done that to her in a million years. I did not know that she never had anything positive to say about that picture.”
She also criticizes O’Donnell for again bringing up something from 2017.
“When I heard that tape … I was just kind of like, ‘Oh man, haven’t I paid the price for that picture yet?’ I mean, it’s been nine years. Nine years.”
“Sisters fight”
Griffin then returns to the subject of not being invited on the Kimmel show. She says that after their chat on their flight together, she was hopeful she might get the call. She says friends also messaged her expressing the hope, if not presumption, that she’d be a guest.
However, as time went on, Griffin says no invite was forthcoming.
“I thought, well, she’s the guest host. She may have no say in it,” reasoned Griffin. “And to this day, I don’t know if she has any say in it. As far as I know, she could or could not. How would I know, right?”
Griffin says she’s heard from a couple of insiders that she definitely won’t be appearing on the show while O’Donnell is hosting. She does not reveal who told her, or how close they are to the production, but claims, “I was told specifically that ABC had nothing to do with keeping me off the show and Kimmel and the staff had nothing to do with keeping me off the show.”
Griffin says she wants people to still watch and support O’Donnell on the show. She also praises her as both a comic and groundbreaking gay figure in the media spotlight.
“We’re good pals,” says Griffin. “We’re like sisters, and everybody knows sisters fight, sisters and brothers fight. Best friends fight, relatives, co-workers fight. And we’re not even fighting. I’m just being honest.”
“I just felt compelled to talk to you guys because I’m always honest with you guys, and I really like hearing your comments.”
Watch below.
Fans and O’Donnell respond
In the comments, support for Griffin appeared to be a little thin on the ground.
“She [O’Donnell] sounded absolutely supportive of you! Just because she didn’t like the one item didn’t mean she doesn’t support YOU 
” was the most well-liked comment.
Another person said, “Kathy, I do not believe for a moment that it is a deliberate snub from Rosie, and please don’t take it personally.”
Griffin posted a clip of the video to her Instagram. Beneath it, O’Donnell entered the chat.
“Kathy- shoulda called me honey – I didn’t choose the guests …” said O’Donnell in a reply.
Others also felt that Griffin would have been better off picking up the phone to her friend.
“Why are you posting this publicly?” said one follower to Griffin. “What is your intent? Wouldn’t it be more appropriate to reach out to her directly and have this conversation? You putting her on blast this way doesn’t seem like friend behavior. Oh and I’m a fan by the way.”
What do you make of Griffin’s video and criticism of her friend? Let us know below.
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