Never before has a set of dreadlocks met such an extended aftermath of drama. We talked yesterday about Kathy Griffin’s reaction after Giuliana Rancic mocked Zendaya Coleman’s Oscar dreadlocks on E!’s Fashion Police. This scandal has dragged on for weeks, and it’s the most interesting piece of gossip to come out of the Oscars. Everyone’s burnt out on the topic by now, and Zendaya’s completely over it too.
Kathy opened the subject again for discussion. She threw her co-worker under the bus and talked smack about her employer. Kathy confirmed how the entire show is rehearsed, and most of the jokes aren’t written by the hosts. Kathy also trashed E! for wanting to start a “wh*re score” segment. If that last part is true, E! is completely out of line. But Kathy shouldn’t have gone public with that info unless she was prepared to leave her job. Guess what? Kathy quit the show after 7 episodes. Here’s her Twitter message:
“When I chose to step into the shoes of my beloved Joan Rivers … 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. I thought that I could bring my brand of humor … 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. Listen, I am no saint – I’m a feminist AND a Gurrrl who loves an offensive joke or a well-timed barb and you will find plenty in my repertoire. But 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! … I discovered that my style does not fit with the creative direction of the show and now it’s time to move on … How’s that for #unapologetic?”
[From Kathy Griffin on Twitter]
Should we applaud Kathy for leaving? It sounds like E! got really upset about yesterday’s interview, and Kathy decided to walk without hesitation. E! issued a confirmation: “We can confirm that Kathy Griffin is leaving E!’s Fashion Police … [the show] will return, as scheduled, on March 30 with our talented co-hosts Giuliana Rancic and Brad Goreski. No further information is available at this time.”
BAM. Kelly Osbourne left two weeks ago. Now Kathy Griffin is gone too. Michael K. at DListed has a hunch that the entire cast could be replaced by Kardashians. That wouldn’t surprise me, but really, it’s time for Fashion Police to receive a mercy killing. This show is SO over.
Here are some photos of Giuliana at the Azura awards last night.
Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet & WENN
I unapologetically love Kathy Griffin.
I like Kathy too.
I’m glad she is going .. Now I don’t have to even follow the show again.
I think something else is going on and you see the crumbling. They have an agenda and I think the Kardashians are a part of it.. I don’t know why E is so up into this family. I can’t watch ENews anymore. Mainly because 1/3 to 2/3 is all about this family. All about every move they are making. They praise every outfit, every statement as if it is a gift from God.. I don’t understand it. It is like the Kardashian family OWN that network now. Maybe they do.
anyway I just can’t with E anymore on any level
I think you’re right that there is more going on behind the scenes, and that E’s contract with the devil (Kris) is to blame.
That’s exactly what I was thinking. She’s quitting because she got word that they are putting Khloe on. Khloe was already let go from a television job because she couldn’t cut it, and she proved that she’s still awful during the Oscar coverage. But that won’t stop E from handing her a job on a silver platter. Bad behavior and laziness continues to be rewarded, and I can see Kathy objecting to that.
Kathy’s quitting because she found the show icky. It sounds like the folks at E! have been pushing the show in a different direction since Joan’s death, and Kathy wasn’t okay with it. We already know the Fashion Police writers are terrible. Look at the quote “there is plenty to make fun of in pop culture without bringing people’s bodies into it”
I used to live for Kathy and then I read her statement on she used to be meaner to celebs and be less PC but had to change her comedy to meet her audience–what?
So what about “Suck it Jesus”? She used to say things just to P-ss off the audience for publicity, now…she thinks comedy should match an audience? She said in that interview yesterday that its wrong to make fun of celebrity’s bodies. Kathy Griffin. She said this.
Kathy threw away her edge…What’s next? Chris Rock will decide not to mention white people in concerts? Cedric the Entertainer won’t dance?
She’s not a nice comic like Ellen. Without her being shady she’s she’s another comic.
I think context is key here: Kathy’s caustic style works well with her outsider-y, D-list persona, but I think there’s a world of difference between her stand-up and working on E!. The position of power changes with that, and I can see how it would be pretty icky to have to read an E! writer’s jokes about someone’s size/shape. Because for one thing, there’s no way that was Kathy’s own material they’re working with on FP (one imagines that considering her previous ban from the channel, her deal with E! gave her a lot less freedom that Joan had). I hope I’m making sense.
They should change that channel’s name to the K network then. K as in Kmart.
I think you are on to something Lisa. The only tolerable show on that channel is The Soup. Anytime I go to the gym on my lunch break, some form of Kardashian show is on the E! channel (thank goodness for Law and Order SVU marathons). Almost all of their tweets are about the Kardashians (and they are always positive). Kathy was pretty smart to jump ship.
She’s great live, too. She was totally slumming it on FP, so glad she’s distancing herself.
You’ve seen her live? Lucky!
My in-laws saw her live in Vegas a few years ago and still rave about her performance to this day!
I do too, but I always thought she was a bit wrong for this job. She’s not really fashion. They also should’ve just canned the whole cast after Joan and started fresh, no?
I adore Kathy Griffin. What a mess the fashion police is at this point. If they replace everyone with the kardashions I can’t see myself ever watching the e channel again- those breathy baby voices make me crazy and sad for humanity.
Goodness, I hope not. They have no style and copy looks anyway. This Serbian singer is calling out Kim as we speak lol
http://instagram.com/karleusastar
@MCRAW-
What did the Serbian singer say? I can’t access Instagram on my dinosaur phone and don’t have a computer….
Posting photos of herself with the word ORIGINAL stamped on it with Kim wearing the EXACT same thing with the word COPY stamped across her image. It’s kinda crazy how Kim took whole looks, not just a piece or two here and there. The thing is, you know how we always say Kim doesn’t dress to her body type? The woman is long and slender w Barbie curves, and she KILLS IT in the outfits Kim completely fails at. It’s funny and sad, cuz I think it’s all coming from Kanye.
She’s just as plastic as Kim, IMO. Hopefully her talent at singing separates them, but on the surface, they’re twins. IMO, of course.
It’s definitely coming from Kanye – check out how he copied the Serbian singer’s mask before he had Kim morph into her.
This was discussed in foreign blogs in December already. Jelena should sue him for copyright …
http://stars.wannabemagazine.com/blogovi/da-li-jelenu-karleusu-inspirise-kanye-west-ili-maison-martin-margiela
E! sold it’s soul to the Kartrashians. They should have just cut bait after Joan died, she was the show.
I remember myspace. Ted Casablanca had a page. I posted a comment, which he had to “okay” saying that Ryan Seacrest’s daddy must own E! Network. He allowed it to be posted on his timeline.
I miss Ted Casablanca.
I miss Ted Casablanca, too.
I miss Teddy C. He got way too into Twilight by the end of his tenure but it was sad to see him booted so unceremoniously.
I love him, he was really the best.
Agree 100%.
Ted C all the way! Why has no one given him another blog!?
He had a non-compete that lasted for a long time after E! fired him, I think.
E! Producers tried to shove a Kardashian down Kathy’s throat and she wasn’t having it.
I thought she was a miscast anyway.. Good for Kathy. It means she still have respect for Joan!
Joan -was- the show. It really was the audacity of an octogenarian making outrageous commentary that “worked”. I think if Joan said the same “pot weed” joke in reference to locs, it would have been taken as an “I don’t understand drug culture” joke instead of the rascist way it was said by GR. I don’t condone making rascist hair jokes, and the girl looked STUNNING, but my point is the context of Joan commenting on an alternate generation that was forgivable and funny. The new cast of white girls and token white guy just come off ass catty, even with a qualified comediene like Kathy Griffith.
Rancic looks more and more like an ant with every month that goes by.
and WTF is up with that hair? wig? looks terrible, whatever it is.
Ranic looks like a scarecrow.
I think they should kill fashion police. It is hard to look at Ranic she is so unhealthily thin. Also she is not funny.
I think Kathy quit because they chose to fill Kelly’s seat with someone she didn’t like and make the show trashy. I am assuming that person is Khloe Kardashian.
This is so sad for me. I was in the Joan camp, I loved her, and also am a lifer of fashion as art. First Vogue died, then Joan, now FP. RIP and enter the apocolype of the Basic B*^ch.
They need to just cancel the show already!!
They should’ve cancelled after Joan died.
Yes exactly
My gut is telling me that E! While maybe upset with what she said didn’t want her to leave. G is just the host and that new guy is beyond boring. I think Kathy was smart enough to to realize this show isn’t worth fighting for and and jumped ship like Kelly and both used the Zedaya hair instance as part of the reasoning. And I found Kathy’s statement to be consistent with who she is.
And I could totally see E! Doing a “whore” subject aside from red carpets that channel has become completly tacky.
If you read Kathy’s full post, Zendaya isn’t even mentioned. She quit because while she loves the idea of doing commentary on fashion, should is not okay with using Fashion Police as a forum to criticize women’s bodies and perpetuate such a narrow and ridiculous standard of what they should look like. Kathy is a dyed in the wool feminist and proud of it.
Even though she didn’t mention it directly her talk of how people should be treated even in comedy is directed at that incident obviously.
She’s talking about feminism and critiquing women’s bodies. She’s specifically saying that she’s uncomfortable with discussion women’s bodies and promoting “a culture of unattainable perfection”. I don’t doubt that the Zendaya fracas was a great example of the show’s intolerance towards difference, but it’s very misleading to say that she’s quitting over a comment made 3 weeks ago that was already settled.
Kim and her stylist would win all the awards for that segment.
It’s the step in the right direction. It’s time people stop being so extremely mean to other people and passing it off as entertainment. Women are too objectified and criticized every second of the day. It’s time for society to shift focus and find entertainment with actually FUNNY events and not shaming people for an entire segment. I don’t care if she is a hypocritical, not judging on past actions, Kathy has the right to choose what she wants and I praise this decision based on her statement. Nobody is perfect.
I thought her comments in the article yesterday were unprofessional and tacky to do to G. and the show. Melissa Rivers is doing her best right now in a bad situation after losing her mother and wanting the show to go on. Show her some respect and address these things behind the scenes and don’t throw people and the show under the bus and act all holier than thou publicly, like setting herself up above the fray and preparing to move on, at the expense of making the show look bad with her comments. I just think it showed a lack of respect. I love Kathy. I just think she could have handled it differently.
I’m sure after that, she was out. The show wasn’t going to keep her, and she didn’t care and was leaving anyway.
I miss Joan.
Bring on Wendy Williams. I would love her wit on there. I wish Bevie Williams could leave Bravo, but she’s under contract I’m sure. She’s in the business and is witty.
If the horrible NeNe or a Karthrasian comes on there, I’m not interested.
I feel bad for Melissa. She trusted Kathy to continue the show and now it blew up in her face, but I think this was more to do with Cindy Adams spilling the tea last week, yet again, about Kathy trying to get the job while Joan was dying in her hospital bed.
+1.
I too feel terrible for Melissa with everything she must be going through right now
I feel truly terrible for Melissa too. She lost her mom and best friend, in what seems to be effectively a wrongful accident. However, I don’t think it’s Kathy Griffin’s responsibility to put up with the icky direction in which they’re taking the show. There’s a huge difference between a talentless talking head spewing scripted racism and a legend being given free rein to amusingly and caustically speak her mind.
I read Michael K on DListed and I agree that the stage is set for the K Klan and Demon Mother are going to take over Fashion Police. Even though KUWTK was renewed that show will be losing Bruce Jenner, Kendell as she is seeing her modelling career take off. What better way to keep that mess of a family in the spotlight than to host a new show? Demon Mother wants to keep the cash rolling in
Please don’t let it be true! So we’re going to have women who look like ten pound sausages stuffed into five pound bags give critiques on fashion? Good Lord. If they knew anything about the subject they might start by wearing clothes that fit. I hate E! for making them the center of their universe, and I’ve been done with that channel for a while now. This is why cable needs to have an ‘a la carte’ selection, people shouldn’t have to pay every month for crap like this.
I never watch E! anymore.I only watched the Fashion Police.Now that Joan is gone it is not the same.
THIS X 100 .. Everytime I see any of them on a night its just gross and they are so stuffed into so called clothing with your bewbs out. ugh. Put it up, no one wants to see that, except Kendull as she is beautifull!
The show should be over. It’s just a bunch of bullies shit talking. They grace one or two with compliments and tear the rest down for their clothes. Over it. In this day of rampant racism, sexism, gay/trans hate and incessant bullying shouldn’t it be enough is enough. Live and let live. Wear what you want, screw who you want, be who you are and do so freely.
Totally agree. If the show is supposed to be about fashion, I have no idea why they had random celebrities, often with no discernable fashion sense, on the panel.
So this site is fine?
LOL, Mark!
Didn’t they used to have a segment where they’d guess if someone wearing an outfit was a prostitute or a celebrity? The meanness is nothing new. This show should’ve been shut down the moment Joan passed away.
Yes – it was Starlet or Streetwalker. I liked a lot about Joan Rivers, and was very sad when she died, but she got away with some things because of her age and status. Her humor was dated, and she said some things that she shouldn’t have. I think E wanted Kathy to continue in that vein, when nobody but Joan could get away with it. Kathy wasn’t comfortable with it and she came across as a poor imitation of Joan. I think she was smart to leave, and the show is, or should be, over.
I loved starlet or streetwalker. Joan was the show. Good for Kathy for leaving. The show is on the downslide.
I’ve been thinking that joke would have never been approved had Joan still been there.
Joan died, and a lot of people immediately forgot how much they actually disliked her humor.
I agree with Bridget. Joan made some very rude and disgusting comments on that show.
@FLORC- Oh, I think that comment would have been approved. And think Joan would have been the one to say it. Maybe not the exact words but she would have made a similar joke.
Joan was always too much for me. I mean RIP and everything but she was mean and a lot of her jokes were politically incorrect to the max. But she was old Hollywood and had seniority so she got away with it somehow.
Joan was a trailblazer in many ways, but within Fashion Police she could be painfully unfunny. There’s a reason why she and E! parted ways so many times.
I think Joan said more offensive comments than the zendaya comment.
Good riddance. She was hired to fill Joan’s role — and certainly, there’s been plenty of mean queen celebrity bashing in her stand up — and instead Kathy acted like she thought she was at a Miss America pageant… all milquetoast comments and a dumb smile after every line.
Arguably, though, Joan’s kind of mean uttered by people without her status may not be tolerable in the Twitter era, but really you hear worse things than GR’s line every night on TMZ. Maybe it’s the context of froufy dresses that causes extra pearl clutching.
Disappointing to find out the show is that scripted, though. Maybe they can digitize Joan Rivers’ file cabinets of jokes and work with that.
Otherwise the two least interesting panel members just left & that’s a good thing.
Of course the show is scripted. It was when Joan was alive, too. TV shows don’t leave anything to chance.
Joan Rivers had her own writers, too. She didn’t write all the jokes on there for herself. But it was Joan’s delivery that can’t be pulled off or imitated on there and just need to make the show a different version of what it was, not try to copy it, and then maybe it will work.
There was only one Joan and boy do I miss her. She was always good to make me laugh Friday evening after a hectic week. She did write quite a bit of her jokes. In one of her documentaries she showed the camera crew a file cabinet stuffed with index cards of her jokes. She’s probably looking down and shaking her head at how quickly this all imploded.
It’s pretty easy to infer that Joan had a lot more leeway about going off script and contributing her own jokes. I don’t understand why they would hire Kathy Griffin and then expect her to just read off someone else’s crappy jokes.
Over the last couple of years its easy to see the direction that Fashion Police is being taken, and the mentality towards women. The red carpet mani-cam, asking the women to give a twirl – I’m all for the red carpet promoting fashion, but they’re gradually reducing these women to children. Now that Joan is gone we’re seeing more of the voice and direction of the folks producing the show, and its not pretty.
This doesn’t seem like a courageous stand as much as a ‘rats fleeing the Titanic’ move. Not that I blame her.
Kathy shouldn’t have returned to E!. They hung her out to dry when she did red carpet coverage before. She did that bit about Dakota Fanning going to rehab, offended Spielberg and they kicked her to the curb. Too bad because there was an arena where she would have made a great replacement for Joan.
I’d forgotten that rehab crack to Dakota Fanning. I agree, it’s rats leaving a sinking ship.
“Devastating”, said absolutely no one.
Fashion Police sucks now, I didn’t bother watching the red carpet specials since Joan died. I’m sticking to my own red carpet coverage on FB, it’s funnier (not too hard these days, but still), everyone in the group participates and we cover women AND men on the red carpet.
Being mean for a living may be edgy but I wonder if it doesn’t become corrosive after awhile.
Wow, talk about burning a bridge with a network. I can’t remember the last time I watched E! anyway. It probably was during an old segment of FP. I never did see how Kelly fit in anyway. I thought KG was definitely the best choice to fill Joan’s spot. Although Joan had an outrageous sense of humor, if you watched her on other shows, you could definitely see her heart. If the show continues, I thought the best replacement for Kelly would be NeNe. I have only watched RHOA twice, but enjoyed watching her on Celebrity Apprentice. I have always been instictively and irreversibly repulsed by anything Kardashian. The word ‘tripe’ or ‘throwing pearls to swine’ always comes to my mind when anything K is shown or mentioned. I wasn’t a loyal watcher anyway, so…
Kathy burned her bridge with E! a long time ago, she’ll be just fine. T
If you listen really closely, you can hear George Katsiopoulos (sp?) laughing….
Hahahah ahahaha
I love George!
Lol! I loved George and his laugh! I was actuallynstarting to like Brad too, I think he gave some great insight. I think George, Brad and another stylist/insider could pull off a new show but NOT on E. Oh and who is now vying for the open chair on The View? I’m still think we will see either Kelly or now Kathy show up. Maybe both?
And then there were two.
two nobodies…
Remember Fashion File? Late 90’s E! was the best. If the show stays on the air I want Kanye, Karl & Choupette. Choupette’s Dairy could be a segment and Karl could say every kunty thought that crosses his mind under the guise of choupette’s inner most feelings.
Or just hire Choupette. She does wear fur, but at least it’s her own.
I would respect Kathy for quitting, but I suspect that she was fired. Hope I’m wrong and she really did just walk off. Why would anyone with an ounce of self-respect want to be on the Kardashian Network.
I don’t think she was fired. I think she just realized the show isn’t for her after “dreadlockgate”.
I think it’s a bit misleading to say that Kathy quit because of the whole Zendaya mess. She has a big problem with the tone of the show and the amount that they’re criticising women’s bodies, not just the clothing on them. Kathy wants to make fun of the outfits, and she’s saying that it’s gross and sexist the way the show is currently set up. They’re writing terrible jokes, reducing these women to a collection of body parts, and she may have to work with a Kardashian. It’s not a shock that she’s fleeing.
The world needs more Joans and Kathys in this world and less Kardashians. I know someone at E! is getting something for them to continue pushing the Kardashians but I wish it would stop. In fact if there were two channels I could remove from cable the first would be E! followed by TLC and possibly Bravo. Who could listen to hours of that show with the whiny valley girl voices of those Kardashian broads. Not me.
Totally agree with you about which channels to ban. They really do feature the very worst of human behavior, and for some awful reason, people find it entertaining. I get that these shows sell because they give the audience someone to look down on, but I would have thought that that had gotten old by now.
Geez this show is going down quickly in flames. I know many say, “Well Kathy didn’t even mention Zendaya” but come on…if that had been a normal week on the job would everyone suddenly be jumping ship?
Nope. There was a scandal. A microscope was put over the show and everyone had time to decide whether they were down for the cause of wanted to gtfo. If it had just been Kelly it wouldn’t have looked like such a black mark for the show, now with Kathy too and rumors of more Kardashians? E looks like a struggling unprofessional mess.
I feel bad for Melissa, but yeah the show should have been cancelled after Joan.
I don’t think the timing was coincidental, but not because of the Zendaya crack. They’re quietly re-jiggering the show in it’s Joan-less format, and the Zendaya joke was symptomatic of the larger problem in that they forced an unfunny joke and ignored the feedback that it wasn’t funny AND it was kind of offensive. The word was that Kelly was already out and they gave her the choice to quit or be fired. It makes sense – without having to accommodate Joan’s input, the producers and writers can shape the tone of the show. And that’s where Kathy came in: she had a huge problem with the tone and the writing, and it sounds like they didn’t want her input or feedback. Her quote “I think there’s plenty to make fun of in pop culture without bringing people’s bodies into it” says it all.
I think you’re right. I think they were already trying to get rid of her so she have that insterview as a middle finger to the network on her way out the door.
This is bad. If E puts the nasty in your face Kardashians on, then I’m out of here too. No more FP for me.
They need to cancel this show! I actually didn’t mind Kelly. She has been in RuPaul’s Drag Race a few times and was really great. I actually think she would be better suited for that show.
Someone mentioned Bevie Smith from Bravo’s Fashion Queens upthread… It made me think about how much funnier I have always found that show compared to Fashion Police. I wish more people watched!
Bye Fashion Police!
I cannot stand G. At. All.
It’s not the E! Network anymore anyway…it’s the K! Network now.
I wish I could drop the channel too as others have mentioned. So sick of the Kartrashians being shoved down my throat. They are useless, stupid, and vapid and offer nothing of value.
If people could choose to not have E!, they would see how quickly the majority would dump that channel because of the Kardashians… and then they’d be forced to face facts.
Nobody wants that trash any longer.
Gah!
The show should have died with Joan Rivers.
Can we all agree to not watch if Kardashians are hosting? I really want E to regret that giant Kardashian contract they just signed- I need them to fade away like Paris Hilton finally did.
The only things I’ve ever watched on E! were “E! True Hollywood Story” and Fashion Police…and I quit watchin FP when Joan died anyway, so I’m in!
Sure. Attacking Willow Palin was deserved. She was 16 at the time. So glad she’s gone. “But I think it’s Willow’s year to go down. In 2011, I want to offend a new Palin.”
The show is a dumpster fire.
Love Kathy!
But..what about her bangs?
Ross Matthews would be a good host.
Yes, Ross manages to be very funny but sweet at the same time. Hard to get mad at him no matter what he says. So if people are tired of unrelenting mean, he would do. He’s also a very good interviewer, for what it’s worth. He also might know something about fashion or be willing to learn- he always looks good, at least!
Oh please, what a hypocrit. I use to love Kathy but she threw Guilianna under the bus and then backed it up to make sure she got her. Joan rivers would be rolling her eyes at that message Kathy put out. Joan never apologized and never explained. Kathy had tons of plastic surgery so she could fit the “ideal” vision of a what a woman should look like. What message is she sending? If you don’t like yourself just go under the knife?
Something else is going on behind the scenes. I think they are going to saddle FP with a Kardashian but the way Kathy sucked up to the Osbornes in the full interview I think she is working on something there. Maybe be on the Talk with Sharon.
Co-sign.
Stick a fork in it. Without Joan Rivers, there is no show.
What would Joan rivers done about this whole situation?
Kathy Griffin is the worst of the worst. So glad she is going away.
Is there a reason Rancic didn’t go & let the others stay?
I’ve always loved Kathy, love her stand up, love her interviews. She’s got a big heart of gold that happens to be raunchy, she’s a brave girl I think. Good for her to leave! they dont deserve her brilliance, stopped watching E! When it became 24 hr Kardashian blow job
No posting? Fun times
I am surprised how many people love Kathy. I haven’t watched her for years because she said such mean things about people and was not funny about it. I guess she must have changed. I am also surprised that FP is so criticized about making comments about body size. I think they were very careful not to mention body size other than saying things about someone knowing how to dress for their body type. It was becoming uncomfortable to watch G sniping at the things Kelly said. I guess I am one of the few who thinks Kelly made some constructive critcism. Then G made comments about her nitpicking or criticizing body type which Kelly never did.
If the show still has enough ratings then I think they deserve another chance to pull it together.