Catholic League president Bill Donohue spoke today regarding the controversy surrounding Kathy Griffin’s Emmy acceptance speech:
“When Griffin roared ‘Suck it, Jesus!’ in front of her Tinseltown peers, she ‘drew laughs,’ according to the Hollywood Reporter. Does this not prove the point the Catholic League has long made about Hollywood’s palpable hostility to Christians?
“New York magazine gave her ‘kudos’ for her ‘joyfully blasphemous rant,’ going so far as to gush, ‘thank God we can always count on Kathy Griffin to inject a little energy into a boring awards show.’ But the same tabloid found nothing joyful about a remark that got Imus fired, labeling it one of the ‘Great Moments in Bigoted Slurs.’ Different strokes for different folks?
“Others also shared New York’s brand of humor. The website of theArizona Daily Star called Griffin’s words ‘interesting’ and ‘refreshing,’ and a reporter for the Miami/Ft. Lauderdale Fox affiliate said her ‘raunchy’ quip was ‘kind of funny.’ More revealing was the creation of a website, SuckItJesus.com, that was launched by her fans: they want her ‘mild, and comedic’ speech to be aired on E!
“Perhaps the most defining response came from Ellen Johnson, president of American Atheists. In a news release, Johnson called for a boycott of the Emmy awards. Distraught that the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, a private organization, is choosing not to offend 85% of Americans by broadcasting an anti-Christian rant, Johnson wailed, ‘this is something I’d expect in a nation like Saudi Arabia or Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.’ Someone needs to give her a copy of the First Amendment—it protects our right to protest objectionable speech.
“Finally, while we are pleased to learn that Griffin’s celebrity stock has plummeted as a result of her scripted speech, we also know that there are some very sick people out there who love it every time some bigot takes a shot at Christianity. To wit: the phone calls and messages we’ve received are proof positive of how visceral the hatred is, much of it aimed directly at the Catholic League. No matter, at the end of the day, Griffin lost and we won.”
