Print
Close
Is Kathy Griffin Going Too Far Targeting 16-Year Old Willow Palin?
By Hollie McKay
Published April 07, 2016
Kathy Griffin was booed by U.S. troops when she made "fat jokes" about Bristol Palin at a Dec. 4, 2010 VH1 event. (Reuters)
Kathy Griffin announced her New Year’s resolution to continue a verbal assault on the Palin family. Only in 2011, the comedian said she intends to target Sarah Palin’s 16-year-old daughter, Willow.
"I've already gone for Sarah, Todd and Bristol obviously," Griffin told The Hollywood Reporter. "But I think it's Willow's year to go down. In 2011, I want to offend a new Palin.”
Could Griffin be switching to a younger, easier Palin target following her Bristol backfire in December?
YOU DECIDE: Should a 16-Year-Old Be Held Up for Public Ridicule?
On a special that aired Dec. 5, Kathy Griffin was jeered by the audience after attacking Bristol Palin for being “fat” while hosting the VH1 Divas “Salute to the Troops.” Griffin called the 20-year-old “the white Precious,” referring to Gabourey Sidibe’s role as an obese and abused teen mother in the 2009 Lee Daniels drama.
The incident provoked widespread criticism.
“Calling Bristol Palin fat is inappropriate and distasteful, even under the guise of humor,” body image expert and author of “Love Your Body Love Your Life,” Sarah Maria told Pop Tarts at the time. “The problem is that people, and particularly young people, easily absorb the ideas, beliefs, and attitudes that are presented to them."
Bristol Palin herself responded, telling Pop Tarts that “The audience's reaction to this ‘comedian’ spoke volumes, and the decent people I know would probably have booed her, too.”
RELATED: Bristol Palin Responds to Kathy Griffin's 'Fat' Attack.
Hollywood publicist Angie Meyer says Griffin’s targeting of Willow, a minor, is even worse.
“To attack a young girl solely because of her last name seems rather contradictory of the types of justice she champions for others,” Meyer said. “A 50-year-old woman who chooses to attack a 16-year-old girl publicly at a time when cyber-bullying and teenage suicide are at their highest reported rates, not only sets irreconcilable example for others, it’s tasteless, immoral, and frankly – classless."
Griffin said she was going after Willow because the teen reportedly used homophobic slurs on Facebook. "She's called people a fa---t on Facebook a couple of times," Griffin told the Hollywood Reporter. "You don't throw around the f-word without hearing from me about it."
Willow Palin was reportedly in an online argument with some Facebook members making fun of “Sarah Palin’s Alaska.” And Bristol Palin already apologized for her sister’s alleged comments, posting on her own Facebook page that “Willow and I shouldn't have reacted to negative comments about our family. We apologize.”
Entertainment industry expert Jenn Hoffman said Willow Palin’s involvement in her mother’s reality show could also open her up to scrutiny. “Willow Palin is fair game for media scrutiny the same way Ali Lohan is also considered fair play for satire and criticism,” Hoffman said.
But show business reporter Gayl Murphy says Griffin’s attacks simply aren’t funny as their target, a 16-year-old girl, is basically defenseless.
“Willow isn’t the problem. If she (Griffin) really is a gifted comic, be gifted and be hilarious,” Murphy said. “It’s not a good fight unless the person you attack can defend themselves …then we’ve got something to laugh about!”
- Deidre Behar contributed to this report.
https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/is-kathy-griffin-going-too-far-targeting-16-year-old-willow-palin