Exclusive: Kathy Griffin: Willow Palin Deserves to Be in My Act
Jan. 6, 2011 — -- Is Kathy Griffin a monster for making fun of a minor? Not in her book.
Responding to criticism that the comedienne is unfairly targetting Willow Palin, the 16-year-old daughter of ex-Alaska governor Sarah Palin, Griffin's publicist told ABCNews.com, "When any public person puts 'your such a f****' on their Facebook wall, they are guaranteed to make it into Kathy's act."
The backstory: on Jan. 1, Griffin told The Hollywood Reporter that Alaska's former first family is on her radar. "I've already gone for Sarah, Todd and Bristol obviously," she said. "But I think it's Willow's year to go down. In 2011, I want to offend a new Palin."
Griffin's reasoning: Willow Palin reportedly posted homophobic slurs on Facebook in November, and "You don't throw around the f-word without hearing from me about it."
The Palins did not immediately respond to ABCNews.com's requests for comment.
Griffin has been vocal about stopping gay bullying since the apparent suicides of several gay teens in 2010. She donated her income from a Dec. 16 show to The Trevor Project, an organization aimed at helping teens deal with depression and thoughts of suicide.
Nevertheless, online, some have criticized Griffin, 50, for wanting to take down a minor. On Tuesday, FoxNews.com published an account of Griffin's comments under the headline, "Is Kathy Griffin Going Too Far Targeting 16-Year Old Willow Palin?"
As of Wednesday evening, the story had generated more than 6,800 comments, many in the same vein as an anonymous user who wrote, "This is going too far. The girl in question is a minor, and therefore should be protected until the age of 18, just like any other minor."
Others argue that Griffin is entitled to her comedic license.
"She offended Jesus," said Los Angeles-based publicist Howard Bragman, referring to Griffin's "s**k it, Jesus" declaration when she accepted an Emmy Award in 2007. "You think she cares about the Palins? Her brand is outrageous and she's very good at it. And the Palins are rich, powerful people who can defend themselves."
