Kathy Griffin made an unexpected announcement earlier this week when she left E!'s Fashion Police after hosting the show for just seven episodes. But more shocking for the comedienne than her decision to leave was what happened next.
"It just didn't work out," Griffin, 54, said at stand-up comedy show Friday in Connecticut (via The Hollywood Reporter). "I'm surprised that people are so invested in this show. But I shouldn't be because Joan [Rivers] was so incredible and amazing, and it just wasn't the right thing for me."
Griffin confirmed her exit from the late Joan Rivers' former show on Thursday. To explain the news, she posted a lengthy Instagram message, writing, "I thought that I could bring my brand of humor to Fashion Police so that beautiful people in beautiful dresses could be teased when appropriate…There is plenty to make fun of in pop culture without bringing people's bodies into it…But I do not want to use my comedy to contribute to a culture of unattainable perfectionism and intolerance towards difference."
A source told Us Weekly of Griffin's exit, “She really did not feel comfortable making jokes the way Joan [Rivers] did. It wasn’t the perfect fit that she and everyone expected it to be.”
The fiery redhead noted during her stand-up show that she received a "really nice crop" of supportive tweets after announcing her departure. One such note came from Girls creator Lena Dunham.
"Congrats to my beautiful friend Kathy Griffin for bravely saying enough is enough to intolerance of all kinds on television," Dunham wrote in an Instagram post. "She's modeling a better way for the youths (and working those ears.)"
Griffin quit shortly after co-host Kelly Osbourne left the show. The violet-haired Brit decided to leave after some racially insensitive comments were made by Giuliana Rancic surrounding Zendaya Coleman's Oscars hairstyle.
