By Tom Comi
Follow @ChannelGuide
There are three different camps when it comes to comedian Kathy Griffin: those who love her; those who despise her; and those who find her funny but don’t want to admit it.
For those in the first and third groups, you will definitely want to tune in to Bravo tonight at 9pm ET for her stand-up special Gurrl Down, which was recently recorded in Boston. And make no bones about it — nobody in the public eye is off limits.
Take, for example, Bristol Palin, daughter of conservative political figure Sarah Palin. When Bristol recently admitted she had “corrective surgery” on her chin, she became instant fodder for the sharp-witted Griffin.
“So Bristol Palin has this brand, new chin, and I swear to god she looks just like Jay Leno,” Griffin says. “It’s like she took a picture of Jay Leno, went to the dentist and said, ‘Can I have this?’ ”
Griffin’s critics claim she can be mean-spirited, and there’s probably some validity to that. She’s not afraid to pounce on fellow celebrities, and that fearlessness is what makes her popular with her fans and a lighting rod for her detractors. Even her own mother questioned some of her material when they appeared together on the since-canceled Bravo show My Life on the D-List.
But it’s also fair to ask if there is a double standard when it comes to male and female comedians. In other words, is her lower standard held to a higher standard just because she’s a woman?
That question won’t be answered anytime soon, but one thing we do know is that Griffin is not afraid to cross the line. And while she might miss the mark from time to time, it’s those occasions when she hits the target that makes her one of the funniest comics — male or female — of her generation.
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Credit: Steve Jennings/Bravo