Kathy Griffin 'fired' from 'Hannah Montana'?
Apr 29, 2008, 11:05 PM | by Ari Karpel
Categories: TV Biz
Comedian Kathy Griffin tells EW.com that her infamous declaration at last year's Creative Arts Emmys — "Suck it, Jesus! This award is my god now!" killed her appearance on the hit Miley Cyrus Disney Channel series, Hannah Montana. "I was fired from Hannah Montana for my 'suck it Jesus' remark," Griffin says. "Which I can tell you now that Miley Cyrus has been flashing her green bra and posing topless." Although it had never been reported that Griffin planned to appear on the squeaky-clean show, Griffin says it was in the works until her faux-outrageous acceptance speech. "I was basically told, 'Disney doesn't want you anywhere near the building,'" she says. (Disney says Griffin's Emmy speech had no bearing on its decision. "With all casting decisions, a 'pass' or 'accept' is ultimately a creative decision," a Disney channel spokeswoman said via email. "The 'pass' on Kathy Griffin in a particular guest role had nothing to do with comedy routines or public comments.")
Griffin isn't sure if she was to play a character or do a cameo as herself. "I might have been the nosy neighbor," she speculates. "Or maybe the hooker with a heart of gold." Approached about a year ago to make an appearance on Montana, the comedian agreed, but had never seen the show."And suddenly everyone was telling me how huge the show is with kids, so I was really excited," she says. The timing didn't come together for last season, so they aimed for fall 2007 instead. But then there was that Emmy speech, which was interpreted by some as a slam on Jesus, though Griffin's intention was to send-up awards acceptance speeches.
Despite the negative consequences of her Emmy speech, Griffin is still getting kudos. On Saturday, Griffin's Bravo series, Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List, won outstanding reality series from GLAAD, which honors positive portrayals of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered people, at the organization's gala at the Kodak Theater in Hollywood. Griffin was surprised and very satisfied: "The gays love me for the same reason I love them: Nothing offends them!"
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