Bravo's Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List won Outstanding Reality Program honors at the 2007 Creative Arts Emmy Awards ceremony and its star Kathy Griffin told Jesus to "suck it" during her acceptance speech, leaving the controversial comedian in a good mood.
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"I have had the best week of my life. This is fantastic. As a comedian, I live for this stuff," said Griffin during a Monday night interview on CNN's Larry King Live. "I just am loving it. I mean it's just -- it's in newspapers around the world and every article starts with 'Emmy winner Kathy Griffin' and then the letters all just blur after that."
2007 had marked the second year in a row in which Griffin's Bravo reality show had been nominated for Outstanding Reality Program, and it was finally able to overtake ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, which had won the award the last two years.
"I couldn't believe it. I was absolutely floored. I wanted them to say my name over and over," Griffin told King about finally landing an Emmy. "I thought Extreme Home Makeover was going to win. So when [award presenter and Ugly Betty star] America Ferrar handed it out and she said, 'And the winner is Ka' -- I thought, 'Well, it's not Ka-streme Home Makeover. Maybe I won.'"
Griffin did indeed win, but it's what she said afterwards that's caused so much controversy.
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"Now, look, a lot of people come up here and they thank Jesus for this award," said Griffin during her acceptance speech. "I want you to know that no one had less to do with this award than Jesus. He didn't help me a bit. If it was up to him, Cesar Millan would be up here with that damn dog. So all I can say is suck it Jesus, this reward is my God now."
Following her speech, Catholic League president Bill Donohue issued a statement denouncing what Griffin had said and described her remarks as a "kind of vulgar in-your-face brand of hate speech." While it may have aggravated the Catholic League, Griffin told King she thinks Jesus is cool with it.
"I think he's OK," she said. "I think he's pretty busy in other places. So I think he's going to survive this one."
Griffin described herself as a big fan of awards ceremonies and added she "always thinks it's funny" when winners thank Jesus.
"As if Jesus doesn't have anything better to do than make sure that someone got their People's Choice Award or whatever. So that's really what I was parodying," she explained to King. "Jesus is not busy in Darfur. He's very busy helping Hollywood celebrities win awards."
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Even if she had lost the Outstanding Reality program honors to Extreme Makeover: Home Edition or one of the other nominees, Griffin said she had a plan up her sleeve to steal the stage.
"I did the red carpet," she told King, "I said, 'I'm going to say something. I'm going to offend people tonight.' And I had two plans, one if I lost and one if I won. I was going to run up on stage anyway, steal the Emmy and take it back until security took me home or Emmy jail or wherever they take you. Have you ever been to Emmy jail? I'll bet it's nice. It's probably green this year. Anyway, so I had something planned if I won and, of course, I planned it all. So this is great. I've been in all the papers."
Griffin said award-show fans like herself "want a comedian to go in there and shake it up," which is why The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences usually tabs comedians to host or present.
However Griffin wasn't a big fan of American Idol host Ryan Seacrest as the choice to helm the live broadcast of the 59th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday night.
"Oh, he's such a tool. He is ridiculous... He's the devil," she told King about Seacrest. "I just -- it's just fun, to dislike him. What Ryan doesn't understand is that America craves to see someone take him down. And I'm the person for the job, because he admits he doesn't do anything. And last night he was doing nothing in the circle. He was just going round and round in a circle while celebrities said hello to him."
About The Author: Christopher Rocchio