Kathy Griffin fears for comedians if Donald Trump becomes president again: 'He's going to pick us off, one by one'
"I’m not kidding and I’m not being paranoid," Griffin tells EW, adding that she thinks Trump will go after Jimmy Kimmel and Jon Stewart if re-elected.
While she feels America will be in a world of trouble if Donald Trump is re-elected to serve a second-term presidency, Kathy Griffin says she specifically fears for "a list" of personal targets — including well-known comedians — she speculates that Trump will target while in office.
"He’s going to pick us off, one by one, like bowling pins, and I’m not kidding and I’m not being paranoid," the 63-year-old tells Entertainment Weekly during an interview for the upcoming leg of her My Life on the PTSD-List tour — the title for which was inspired by the lingering trauma she says she still experiences, following a federal investigation into the infamous 2017 photo of herself holding a bloodied mask styled to look like then-President Trump that led to career implosion, lost work, fractured friendships, and her name being added to the no-fly list as a result.
"I’m a D-lister, he’s not going to get to me on day one, but he’ll get to me, trust me. He’s got a list. I’ve known this guy for 25 years, maybe 30. He’s so petty that he lives for this. He doesn’t want to be President or do any president-ing," Griffin stresses.
She also says that the Department of Justice came extremely close "to actually arresting me for conspiracy to assassinate the president of the United States," calling the investigation "chilling" and unprecedented, as she can't recall another comedian who went through such an extensive probe at the hands of the government.
"If he gets re-elected, he’ll go after Jimmy Kimmel, he’ll go after Jon Stewart, all the name ones, but he’ll go after Rosie O’Donnell. That’s all he’s going to do all day," she predicts. "He’ll have press conferences about it. He’s so much crazier than he was the first go-round."
Through a representative, O'Donnell tells EW in an email statement: "I believe fully in kamala harris, in the american people. we will reject him nov 5." EW has additionally reached out to representatives for Trump, Kimmel, and Stewart for comment.
Related: Kathy Griffin takes back her Trump apology: 'F--- him'
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Even before he ran for president, Trump and O'Donnell have fronted a long-standing feud, dating as far back as the talk show host's time at The View table. Trump regularly spoke out against her in the 2016 election cycle, when he brought up the comedian and actress' name while answering a 2015 debate question from conservative broadcaster Megyn Kelly, who asked him about criticizing women he didn't agree with by using phrases like "fat pigs, dogs, slobs, and disgusting animals." Trump cut her off, stating: "Only Rosie O'Donnell."
Stewart and Kimmel also regularly mock Trump in their acts, with Stewart taking aim at both sides of the political aisle on The Daily Show, and Kimmel going on a comedic rant about Trump as he hosted the 2024 Oscars in April.
Other comedy staples such as Jack Black have distanced themselves from controversial statements about Trump — including when Black's Tenacious D tour was canceled in the wake of band member Kyle Gass' poorly received joke about the July assassination attempt that saw a gunman ope fire on Trump at a Pennsylvania campaign event.
Tickets for Griffin's My Life on the PTSD-List tour are available for purchase now.
Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.