# Was Kathy Griffin insulted or complimented? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 2, 2016, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-kathy-griffin-insulted-or-complimented/742007 "2016-01-02T19:09:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2016, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-kathy-griffin-insulted-or-complimented/742007/41 "2016-01-03T18:03:31Z")
> [@Frylock](#): > > Ah I didn’t know she had taken her top off and walked around for a while in her bra like that. This changes the context from what I had assumed based on the headlines! > > Pure compliment, no real need to rephrase. She was clearly up for the comment, and nobody got hurt. > > If people are critical about this (other than complaints about professionalism or something–which, I mean, come on, New Years? And a lady in a bra walking around?) then I’d call that puritanism–and I tend towards the puritanical side myself so that’s saying a thing. Just picking a post at random in agreement. I can’t understand how anyone doesn’t understand this. Whether or not it was pre-planned, it was all intended. There’s no controversy here. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2016, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-kathy-griffin-insulted-or-complimented/742007/42 "2016-01-03T18:04:08Z")
Everyone did everything right. It was not unwelcome, and the occasion and Griffin’s reputation and behavior made it a very safe play. That’s the thing - we humorless bitches aren’t entirely humorless. Unwanted sexual comments are condemned because they’re unwanted. Not because they’re sexual comments. It’s not difficult to grasp. > [@gaffa](#): > > It was obviously planned in advance. She has two wireless packs on her, a microphone transmitter and an ear monitor system and one of them is just above her butt attached to skirt, and the other is attached to the back of her bra. The sound engineer wouldn’t have attached it to her bra if she hadn’t had worked everything out in advance with the director. I’m sure there is a piece of paper somewhere that had “8:45 PM: Kathy removes top” written on it. Really? They always put mine on my bra strap, because my brastrap is thick and sturdy. On the thinner material of the skirt, the weight made it pull out awkwardly in the back. Were they being creepazoids? It seemed legit. I’m not saying it wasn’t planned. It may well have been; Cooper didn’t seem really all that surprised. Then again, after so many years with Griffin, he’s probably developed a good poker face. But now you’ve got me wondering about the sound crews I used to work with. > [@](#): > > Seriously, that was a very thick bra. It looked like a sturdy white bikini top to which someone had applied black lace bits to dress it up. Superman would have had a hard time seeing nipple. Yes, it is a thick “molded cup” bra. Love those things. They hold everything in place like a well trained soldier. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2016, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-kathy-griffin-insulted-or-complimented/742007/43 "2016-01-03T18:08:49Z")
I’d tap that. Well probably not because I would highly suspect that is the crazy and we all know about tapping the crazy…but still. ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2016, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-kathy-griffin-insulted-or-complimented/742007/44 "2016-01-03T20:46:03Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > Really? They always put mine on my bra strap, because my brastrap is thick and sturdy. On the thinner material of the skirt, the weight made it pull out awkwardly in the back. Were they being creepazoids? It seemed legit. > > I’m not saying it wasn’t planned. It may well have been; Cooper didn’t seem really all that surprised. Then again, after so many years with Griffin, he’s probably developed a good poker face. But now you’ve got me wondering about the sound crews I used to work with. I think your experiences are common. On the series Face Off, you can often see the bulge of the sound equipment in the middle of their back where the bra strap would be. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2016, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-kathy-griffin-insulted-or-complimented/742007/45 "2016-01-04T00:02:00Z")
> [@Frylock](#): > > If people are critical about this (other than complaints about professionalism or something–which, I mean, come on, New Years? And a lady in a bra walking around?) then I’d call that puritanism–and I tend towards the puritanical side myself so that’s saying a thing. > [@WhyNot](#): > > Everyone did everything right. It was not unwelcome, and the occasion and Griffin’s reputation and behavior made it a very safe play. > > That’s the thing - we humorless bitches aren’t entirely humorless. Unwanted sexual comments are condemned _ **because they’re unwanted. Not because they’re sexual** _ comments. It’s not difficult to grasp. (emphasis added) Yeah really. Some people seem to believe there is a goal to utterly and completely render any such expression unthinkable and unspeakable under any circumstance whatsoever. Og help me that would be a dreadful world. Griffin was probably looking to see if anyone \*would \*dare to make a comment in that general vein. ---
**Author:** ![The\_King\_of\_Soup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@The\_King\_of\_Soup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_King_of_Soup)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2016, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-kathy-griffin-insulted-or-complimented/742007/46 "2016-01-04T01:10:52Z")
Gee. To middle-aged, mind-ajar guy, plays like: lewd compliment responding to lewd bid for attention designed to solicit such. She has no grounds for offense, and since the whole thing was a broadly-scripted show using one bawdy comedienne with three purported journalists as paid talking props, neither do the props. Viewers have a right to expect better, maybe, but if they’ve been watching CNN at all lately, they shouldn’t. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2016, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-kathy-griffin-insulted-or-complimented/742007/47 "2016-01-04T01:29:34Z")
> [@astro](#): > > She’s never been shy about getting naked in public or the [huge amount of plastic surgery](http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20140540,00.html) she’s had done. I would imagine that (1) it was probably a stunt and (2) she would be pleased given the effort she she’s put in. Given that her response to the comment was to grin broadly, clap her hands, say “Thank you!”, and jiggle her “assets,” it’s a very safe bet that she was pleased. ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2016, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-kathy-griffin-insulted-or-complimented/742007/48 "2016-01-04T01:44:58Z")
> [@TokyoBayer](#): > > Of course, I haven’t watched TV for years, (living abroad and all that) so I have nothing to compare it too. Is this typical? Typical of TV – no. Typical of New Year’s Eve with Kathy Griffin and Anderson Cooper – absolutely. I look forward to watching their show every year. The entire point of the show is to be as inappropriate and embarrassing as possible, and hopefully to make Anderson collapse in giggles. Kathy spends most of the show making rude comments about seducing Anderson. This year it was all about whether they should use tongue for their midnight kiss. In that context, Don Lemon’s remark fit in perfectly with the rest of the show. Whether people who are supposed to be functioning as serious newscasters for the rest of the year should behave like drunken frat boys on a live New Year’s Eve broadcast is a separate question. I enjoy it, and CNN clearly finds it worthwhile, since they’ve been doing it for years. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2016, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-kathy-griffin-insulted-or-complimented/742007/49 "2016-01-04T06:14:00Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > That’s the thing - we humorless bitches aren’t entirely humorless. Unwanted sexual comments are condemned because they’re unwanted. Not because they’re sexual comments. It’s not difficult to grasp. No, but the part about figuring out whether it’s welcome or not does seem to be a problem for a lot of people. They claim they thought such comments would be welcome when they weren’t. So they want a hard and fast rule. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2016, 11:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-kathy-griffin-insulted-or-complimented/742007/50 "2016-01-04T11:21:50Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > No, but the part about figuring out whether it’s welcome or not does seem to be a problem for a lot of people. They claim they thought such comments would be welcome when they weren’t. So they want a hard and fast rule. “Never go first.” ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2016, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-kathy-griffin-insulted-or-complimented/742007/51 "2016-01-04T14:19:46Z")
> [@Flyer](#): > > Do you think that what Don Lemon said was a compliment or an insult? Or maybe something in between? Regardless, do you think he should have phrased it differently? (post shortened) Don Lemon looked a little drunk. I believe Lemon was complimenting Griffin’s plastic surgeon’s work. Without saline, suction, and sutures, Griffin wouldn’t be working the CNN New Years show. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2016, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-kathy-griffin-insulted-or-complimented/742007/52 "2016-01-04T14:58:34Z")
It’s their shtick. Griffin is the wacky out of control comic. Cooper is her exasperated partner who can’t control her wackiness. Don Lemon seemed to be taking the role of the gay guy who has a free pass to talk about how a women looks. It would be completely unremarkable except that it’s supposed to be a serious news organization. I could never see Edward R. Murrow saying nice rack. Maybe at the bar after a few slugs of scotch but not on air. ---
**Author:** ![Doyle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doyle/32/439_2.png) [@Doyle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doyle)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2016, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-kathy-griffin-insulted-or-complimented/742007/53 "2016-01-04T17:53:27Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > She looks good for a 55 year old. Due to her multiple plastic surgeries. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2016, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-kathy-griffin-insulted-or-complimented/742007/54 "2016-01-04T18:04:12Z")
I fail to see how it could be an insult. Just because a compliment might be rude and/or inappropriate does not make it an insult. ---
**Author:** ![Reluctant\_A](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/839c29/32.png) [@Reluctant\_A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reluctant_A)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2016, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-kathy-griffin-insulted-or-complimented/742007/55 "2016-01-04T18:12:24Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > “Never go first.” Works for me. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2016, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-kathy-griffin-insulted-or-complimented/742007/56 "2016-01-04T19:41:49Z")
> [@Revtim](#): > > I fail to see how it could be an insult. Just because a compliment might be rude and/or inappropriate does not make it an insult. The second part of the comment makes it a bit of a backhanded compliment. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2016, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-kathy-griffin-insulted-or-complimented/742007/57 "2016-01-04T22:14:13Z")
I vote “compliment, but Don was much too drunk for anyone to reliably say what he was going for.” ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2016, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-kathy-griffin-insulted-or-complimented/742007/58 "2016-01-04T22:48:44Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > IMHO, Don Lemon is an inappropriate person. He represents everything that’s wrong with CNN. Really? What’s your problem with Don Lemon? ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2016, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-kathy-griffin-insulted-or-complimented/742007/59 "2016-01-05T00:01:09Z")
> [@kopek](#): > > I’m not a fan of hers but I must say that is a pretty nice rack. For 55? Very nice. Bordering on spectacular! ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2016, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-kathy-griffin-insulted-or-complimented/742007/60 "2016-01-05T18:39:29Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > The second part of the comment makes it a bit of a backhanded compliment. OK, I can see that. Thanks [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-kathy-griffin-insulted-or-complimented/742007.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-kathy-griffin-insulted-or-complimented/742007.md?page=4)