Joan Rivers said a lot of uncouth shit in her time, and other than the moments she resorted to boring racialist stuff, she was very deft at pulling it off. Especially on Fashion Police, in which her combination of snarking and snapping and self-awareness, at times, made it seem like if she didn’t love your outfit, at least she sort of admired you for her chutzpah. That’s why it worked, and was usually funny.
Kathy Griffin, who made her debut in Rivers’ stead (RIP) Monday night is, so far… not that. But she sure is trying hard to be.
First things first, the internet is collectively smarting at Griffin’s comments about Amal Clooney, which were as follows: “She had those gloves which remind me of a porn scene where the guy goes home and there’s the naughty dishwasher who only has the gloves. And when she said she made them herself, I was like, yeah, no shit.”
Oh.
Hmm.
She also said, “Yeah, she’s annoying. You heard me! Everybody run in fear!.. I’m fascinated how we’re like, not supposed to make fun of her because she married the great George Clooney. Look, everybody’s on the table, George! Nobody’s safe, nobody gets a pass.”
I mean, first of all, that’s just dumb as hell, because Amal Clooney barely spoke on the red carpet and when she does speak publicly it is because she is literally out here saving the world. We are not making fun of Amal Clooney NOT because she is married to George because who gives a good goddamn about that; we are not making fun of Amal Clooney because all our mouths are agape in awe at her resume, including—as Amy Poehler and Tina Fey pointed out during the Golden Globes—serving on the law firm of a criminal probe into Enron, working as an adviser to Kofi Annan and the King of Bahrain, leading up an Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict, investigating war crimes in Gaza and, oh yeah, as a little hobby (sidebar jam!), helping Greece get their freaking ancient marbles back after they were stolen from the Parthenon by colonial Britain. Literally who the hell is George Clooney though.
Second of all, it is so painfully obvious that Griffin was making said comments in order to be controversial that I want to cover my eyes from the thirst of it all. Saying something unpopular is not doing anything subversive or funny when the person saying it is grasping at any straw she can get her hands on.
Also, it is extremely difficult to take any fashion critiques seriously from a person whose eyebrow dye job is that flagrantly off.
Others felt similarly. The Daily Beast called Griffin’s debut “one-note joke telling,” while the Washington Post wrote:
This is where Griffin differed from Rivers, who, of course, loved a vicious celebrity insult more than anyone and anything, including actual fashion expertise. But in her role on “Fashion Police,” Rivers didn’t explain the joke — she just let the harsh zingers fly. This time, it appeared Griffin was trying a little too hard to make some enemies, which she excitedly said before the show was the plan.
“Yawn,” Griffin said, addressing Lupita Nyong’o’s violet Giambattista Valli gown. Yawn, I said, addressing Griffin’s debut star turn on Fashion Police. Here’s to hoping it gets funny.
Image via E!.