Why Kathy Griffin And Elisabeth Hasselbeck Feuded On The View
Kathy Griffin and Elizabeth Hasselbeck aren't exactly strangers to media backlash. Though some people may argue they are polar opposites, the two share one thing in common — they both have been subjects of major controversy.
Griffin may be applauded for her daring stand-up comedy, but she once took things too far. In 2017, she got in hot water for sharing a photo of herself with a mask of a detached bloody head of Donald Trump. Igniting public uproar, with soured reactions from notable figures, she was essentially cast out of Hollywood. Griffin's Trump photo scandal led to serious personal and professional consequences, such as getting fired from her CNN job and being investigated by law enforcement, per The New York Times. "I wasn't canceled, I was erased," she told the outlet.
Meanwhile, Hasselbeck recently returned to "The View" after co-hosting the morning talk show from 2003 to 2013, per People. In the past, Hasselbeck's outspoken personality and conservative beliefs caused friction with guests. According to the outlet, a nasty argument in 2007 with co-host Rosie O'Donnell led O'Donnell to actually leave the show. Another guest who's not so hot on Hasselbeck's radar? Griffin. In fact, the two have had a long-standing feud full of some fiery remarks. Let's take a look.
Elisabeth Hasselbeck certainly wasn't laughing at Kathy Griffin's jokes
In a June 2010 episode of "The View," co-host Sherri Shepherd asked guest Kathy Griffin if she ever felt remorse targeting people in her comedy routines. Griffin admitted that while her jokes don't always land, it was not stopping her from going full-force. "Nothing's off the table," she said. Hasselbeck countered, "You've said things about people here that are A. untrue and B. not so funny. Do you ever feel weird then coming here and sitting here and you kind of, you know, promoting things?" Griffin was braced for battle, responding, "This moment is what I live for, so bring it." As the segment wrapped up, the two talked over each other in inaudible quips, before agreeing to disagree that everything was A-okay.
But things didn't stay calm for too long. In a July 2010 episode of "The View," Hasselbeck was guilty of some name-calling, per Entertainment Weekly. Apparently, on her Bravo show "My Life on the D-List," Griffin made a joke that Senator Scott Brown "has two daughters that are prostitutes." Hasselbeck retorted, "You defend your daughters against scum who come after them." Co-host Joy Behar questioned Hasselbeck, saying, "Are you calling Kathy 'scum' now?" Hasselbeck replied, "In general, if someone called your daughter a prostitute would you think they'd be scum? I'd call them [sic] scum." Then Behar defended Griffin, saying, "I know my daughter's not a prostitute, so it [would be] funny. It's just a joke, Elisabeth." Yikes.
Kathy Griffin made a reaction video to Elisabeth Hasselbeck
In 2012, Kathy Griffin stirred the Elisabeth Hasselbeck pot on her talk show "Kathy." Rehashing former President Barack Obama's appearance on "The View," Griffin engaged in catty remarks toward "The View" co-host. "Elisabeth Hasselbeck said something really stupid, let's take a look," Griffin said, per HuffPost. Later, when the producers put up a picture of Hasselbeck, Griffin demanded, "No, don't show that nice picture of her. After all the names she's called me, show the f***ing crazy face."
Even after that scenario, Griffin didn't put the feud to bed. In 2013, Hasselbeck got in a heated argument about the morning-after pill with Barbara Walters on "The View," leading Hasselbeck to nearly quit. Once the show cut to commercial, a leaked video for Variety played audio of Hasselbeck caught in a meltdown. "F*** that. I'm not going to sit there and get reprimanded on the air," she said.
Then, in 2019, Griffin made a reaction video to the incident. In a tweet, Griffin prefaced her video, "It is, well, VICIOUS & I hope it makes you laugh." It was nothing short of vicious, with Griffin spending 13 minutes analyzing the fit, joking about making some of Hasselbeck's outbursts her ringtones, and ripping apart "The View" co-host. Addressing Hasselbeck's comments about being reprimanded, Griffin explained, "By the way, when you take that job, you know a big part of it is getting reprimanded on the air." There's no shortage of combat between these two.