When people worried no one may ever be able to replace the late Joan Rivers on Fashion Police because of her ability to stay loved while dishing out brutal insults to high-profile celebrities, they may be right.
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After a very brief stint hosting Fashion Police, Kathy Griffin has announced she's quitting the show.
Griffin's sudden decision to leave is seemingly a result of her distaste for the humor Fashion Police presents in general and the fallout from her co-host Giuliana Rancic's Oscars joke about Zendaya Coleman's dreadlocks smelling like "patchouli oil and weed" -- a comment which allegedly prompted Kelly Osbourne to leave the E! show as well.
"When I chose to step in the shoes of my beloved friend Joan Rivers at Fashion Police, I was thrilled to continue her legacy as a woman being brash and eccentric on television. I am a freedom-loving female and gay rights activist who loves to find the funny in all people, attitudes, beliefs, and appearances, but only when the context permits intelligent humor," Griffin tweeted Thursday in a long post.
"I thought that I could bring my hand of humor to Fashion Police so that beautiful people in beautiful dresses could be teased when appropriate. My brand of humor, while unrepentant and unafraid, is all about CONTEXT. There is plenty to make fun of in pop culture without bringing people's bodies into it. Again people... context!"
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Griffin explained she's a feminist who loves an "offensive joke or a well-timed bard," but her role on Fashion Police was disconcerting.
"I do not want to use my comedy to contribute to a culture of unattainable perfectionism and intolerance towards difference. I want to help women, gay kids, people of color and anyone who feels underrepresented to have a voice and a LAUGH! That has been my platform for decades and my body of work speaks for itself," Griffin continued in the Twitter post.
"After 7 episodes of Fashion Police, I discovered that my style does not fit with the creative direction of the show & now it's time to move on."
Griffin then wished E! and the network's team the best.
"I hope to continue to make you all laugh performing live or on television where I can be smart, irreverent, unrepentant and unafraid in an observational way that it candid, honest and justified. Thank you to my fans for taking this ride with me," she said.
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Before her departure announcement, Griffin conducted an interview with the Chicago Sun Times during which she complained about the premise of Fashion Police. She called attention to a few things that were bothering her on the set.
"The show wanted to do a running segment called 'Whore Score.' Um, no thanks. I think we can do better... Name-calling and alliteration with no comedic context is simply the lowest hanging fruit," Griffin told the Sun Times.
"If I'm making fun of Oprah, I don't just scream, 'She's fat. G'night everybody.' I do an impression of her hilarious voice, I quote episodes of 'Favorite Things,' I even tell a story of my personal experience about being on her show. I do NOT say she's a terrible talk show host or actress. I do not say she isn't beautiful."
Osbourne said she left Fashion Police earlier this month to "pursue other opportunities," but her exit came on the heels of the Rancic and Coleman controversy.
Coleman had ranted on social media about how offensive Rancic's joke was about her hair, and she had an incredible amount of supporters -- including Osbourne, who publicly expressed her disapproval and made it clear she's friends with Coleman. Rancic, however, apologized to Coleman for her comments on two separate occasions -- on Twitter and during a segment on E! News.
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When Griffin was asked whether she'd receive the same heat as Rancic had she been the one to make the joke on the show, the comic was honest.
"Probably not. But I wouldn't have said the joke in the first place. Some dude wrote it for her," Griffin revealed to the newspaper, subsequently giving Rancic some advice.
"Don't have anyone write you jokes or even suggest jokes for you on Fashion Police. You have enough great insider gossip from actually being ON the red carpet. That's what fans want to hear the next day. Just talk and be yourself."
Griffin then commented on Osbourne's choice to end her time on Fashion Police, saying she has "no idea" why Osbourne opted to leave the show but "she seemed upset" at the seven tapings they did together.
Shortly after Griffin officially announced her departure from Fashion Police, E! released a statement of its own to the media.
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"We can confirm that Kathy Griffin is leaving E!'s Fashion Police," read the statement.
"We wish her all the best and are grateful for her time on the show, as well as the many laughs that she gave us all. Fashion Police will return, as scheduled, on Monday, March 30 at 9PM with our talented Co-Hosts Giuliana Rancic and Brad Goreski and Executive Producer Melissa Rivers. No further information is available at this time."
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski