Jordie Karlinski

Nathan Peiplow

Rhetorical Analysis Draft 3

Kathy Griffin’s Road to Fame

“I’m sick to death of Jesus. I feel that Jesus and Paris Hilton are both overexposed. I’ve seen enough of both of them. And I think I’m getting more atheist because of the way the country is getting more into Bible- thumping[1]”. Known for her witty, yet controversial sense of humor, Kathy Griffin has become a household name among the Hollywood and comedy worlds. Griffin made her big break doing stand up comedy and soon became recognizable in households across America from her Bravo TV show, The D-List. It didn’t the world long to see Griffin’s comedic talent. Griffin has mastered her stand up routine allowing her to capture her audiences and keep them wanting more. Those who have heard Griffin’s stand up routines knows she has no reservations on what she says. Many of Griffin’s routines are rhetorical, persuading her audience to laugh at what she says despite the contentious material.

There are many aspects to a stand up routine that a comedian has to exhibit in order to be likeable and for the audience to be left wanting more. One is that the comedian has to put him or herself at verbal risk. This is what Griffin knows how to do best. Constantly making comments and telling stories that are against the norm is what makes her popular amongst humor-seeking fans. Griffin is known for her foul and unexpected comments that leave people keeled over, laughing. She does not hold back on racism, sexism, or feminism. So why does the audience laugh at these controversial subjects that they may not think are funny in a normal atmosphere? Although this question may not be answerable, many people have been trying to find this answer for years.

In the world of humor and stand up comedy, there are theories concerning why we as humans find things funny. For one there is the superiority theory. Jason Rutter explains this theory well: “This form of humour requires those who laugh at a joke viewing themselves as better than the butt of the joke[2]”. It is easy for someone who thinks of themselves as superior to laugh at something they consider inferior. This can easily be the case with many of Griffin’s audience members; they may consider themselves superior to some of Griffin’s stand up subjects and because others are laughing, they can laugh too. This leads to a second theory, the relief theory.

For many, humor is a way to relieve tension and awkwardness when meeting someone new, when going on a blind date, or when putting a difficult issue in the past. “Relief theory assumes that this build-up of surplus energy is inefficient if not detrimental to physical or psychological well-being which is why a spontaneous release is necessary rather than a slow dissipation[3]”. In other words, when people feel discomfort in their emotions around others, they need to release the feelings somehow quickly, and the release of these emotions usually results in laughing. This might help explain why audience members laugh at Griffin’s controversial jokes. Knowing others are laughing with you will further relieve the feeling of discomfort. These two theories of humor can help explain why audiences find Griffin’s stand up routines funny. Now that we have looked at how humor is produced, we can look further into Griffin’s comedic routine.

As previously mentioned, Griffin puts herself at verbal risk. In order for her to deliver her jokes successfully, she must exude confidence in her role play and punch lines. Confidence is very important especially because Griffin is a female; she has to make her audiences realize she has broken the boundary on what females can say based on society norms. Alyssa Gregory a business blogger sums up Griffin:

“It’s no secret that she has issues with certain people and organizations, and that she is an outspoken supporter for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) rights. By being vocal about her perspective on various issues, she has been banned from countless venues and TV shows, and rebuked by numerous media outlets. Yet, her point of view is part of her persona. She is known for telling it like it is (at least how it is to her)[4]”.

Another part of Griffin’s routine that makes her likeable and relatable is that she tells personal stories and experiences, but just kicks them up a notch. She tells stories about her mom, work experiences, and what everyone loves to hear, fellow Hollywood stars. “If you’re in the audience at an appearance or watching her show, you can’t help but feel like an insider. She positions herself as a friend of the masses and plays up the “us against them” feeling[5]”. Hot topics such as the Royal Wedding and even the Queen of England can’t even get a break from Griffin. These quotes are from 'Kathy Griffin's Insightful and Hilarious Take on the Royal Wedding' on The Talk, Griffin: “It’s me making unfair judgments on others, which I’m a professional at…I’m looking for the crotch shot, the drunken person, the crazy Easter hat lady…”. The Talk co-host: “So what can we hope for from the Queen?” Griffin: “Well, she’ll be drunk. She’ll be hammmered because she likes a box of wine like my mother[6]”. Griffin does not hold anything back no matter how famous or how royal the person may be.

As you can imagine, not every comedian gets positive reviews and people to like them, especially Griffin. She tells things how she sees fit, holding no reservations. Many people don’t always agree with what she says or does. For instance, when Griffin was accepting a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Reality Program, she said,

“Now, a lot of people come up here and thank Jesus for this award. I want you to know that no one had less to do with this award than Jesus. He didn't help me a bit. If it was up to him, Cesar Millan would be up here with that damn dog. So all I can say is suck it, Jesus, this award is my God now![7]”

Many people including the Catholic League did not like her speech and found it insulting. Griffin later explained herself by saying she did not mean to insult Jesus, “but rather as a satire of celebrities who thank Jesus profusely and nonsensically for their awards, especially artists who themselves are controversial in their speech and actions[8]”. It is clear that for a comedian not everyone will agree with what you say or believe, but what you talk about isn’t the only aspect to having a successful stand up routine. Who you are talking to is also very important to consider.

Generating stand up scripts towards the right audience is key to having a successful routine. Because Griffin is an entertainer in today’s world, her scripts are geared towards people and events in modern times. Although she’ll occasionally make references back to the 80’s or 90’s, current day topics let her audience further relate to her because they know what she is talking about. One could say that Griffin attracts people who are craving Hollywood gossip as well as audience members from all different sexual orientations, “How many gay men here want to re-do Cindy McCain’s hair? Somebody’s got to make it a nice soft honey, or something, but you can’t be a first lady with that platinum whore hair, I’m sorry[9]”. As much as Griffin’s fans get a laugh out of her, there are some people who would rather not see or hear from her at all, and those are the Hollywood stars themselves, “I [Griffin] have learned in my career that there are many celebrities that I just love who maybe don’t like me back…and I can’t help it, I still love that fucking nut bag, Barbara Walters[10]”. Although Griffin gets many invitations to stages all around the world, there are some stages that she has been banned from, like the View, twice. According to the shows producer, “…they have canceled her [Griffin’s] scheduled appearance because she was too mean to Barbara during her last special on Bravo[11]”. This is not surprising because Barbara Walters is a victim of Griffin’s stand up routines all the time. Another network that will not allow Griffin to reappear is CNN, “She was a total embarrassment to the network that calls themselves 'The Most Trusted Name in News.' Even Anderson Cooper thinks it's time to say goodbye to Kathy[12]”. Hollywood gossip king, Perez Hilton, gives his insight on Griffin and CNN, “We're sure her comments about needing a "bump" of cocaine and asking the Silver Fox about his masturbatory habits would be excused if the ratings were decent[13]”. As shown, Griffin does not please everyone in the world, especially Hollywood. Regardless of who likes Griffin, if she didn’t have the guts to say what she says, she would be just an average comedian in a world filled with thousands.

There are many aspects to stand up comedy that a comedian must follow in order to have a successful routine as well as keep the audience engaged. Griffin is no stranger to stand up comedy and has throughout the years evolved her routine to be full of witty and controversial humor. Griffin’s stand up routine topics and how she connects to her audience members are what have led her to have a fan base around the world, endless stand up routine offers and hosting jobs, her hit TV show, and have a New York Times best-selling book. Even though she is not always liked or people may not understand her humor, there are fans everywhere that will always support Griffin no matter what she does. Based on her journey to fame, Griffin has become the epitome of having the perfect and successful comedic “routine”.

Works Cited

1. "Kathy Griffin Quotes - Kathy Griffin Quotations, Famous Sayings." Whosdatedwho.com. Web. 29 July 2011. http://www.whosdatedwho.com/tpx_1386/kathy-griffin/quotes

2. Rutter, Jason. Stand-up as Interaction: Performance and Audience in Comedy Venues. Sept. 1997. Web.

3. Gregory, Alyssa. "The Kathy Griffin Guide to Business Blogging." Web log post. Sitepoint. 11 Feb. 2010. Web. 29 July 2011.

4. "Kathy Griffin." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 29 July 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kathy_Griffin>.

5. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRtJccLNSrE

6. "Cele|bitchy » Blog Archive » Kathy Griffin Banned from The View Again." Cele|bitchy. 29 Jan. 2008. Web. 31 July 2011. http://www.celebitchy.com/8980/kathy_griffin_banned_from_the_view_again/

7. Hilton, Perez. "Kathy Griffin Banned From CNN! | PerezHilton.com." Celebrity Gossip Juicy Celebrity Rumors Hollywood Gossip Blog from Perez Hilton. 5 Jan. 2010. Web. 31 July 2011. <http://perezhilton.com/2010-01-05-kathy-griffin-banned-from-cnn>.

[1] "Kathy Griffin Quotes - Kathy Griffin Quotations, Famous Sayings." Whosdatedwho.com. Web. 29 July 2011. <http://www.whosdatedwho.com/tpx_1386/kathy-griffin/quotes>

[2] Rutter, Jason. Stand-up as Interaction: Performance and Audience in Comedy Venues. Sept. 1997. Web.

[3] Rutter, Jason. Stand-up as Interaction: Performance and Audience in Comedy Venues. Sept. 1997. Web.

[4] Gregory, Alyssa. "The Kathy Griffin Guide to Business Blogging." Web log post. Sitepoint. 11 Feb. 2010. Web. 29 July 2011.

[5] Gregory, Alyssa. "The Kathy Griffin Guide to Business Blogging." Web log post. Sitepoint. 11 Feb. 2010. Web. 29 July 2011.

[6] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Q0TLbhfPXc

[7] "Kathy Griffin." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 29 July 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kathy_Griffin>.

[8] "Kathy Griffin." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 29 July 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kathy_Griffin>.

[9] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRtJccLNSrE. 0.33.

[10] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRtJccLNSrE. 1: 38.

[11] "Cele|bitchy » Blog Archive » Kathy Griffin Banned from The View Again." Cele|bitchy. 29 Jan. 2008. Web. 31 July 2011. <http://www.celebitchy.com/8980/kathy_griffin_banned_from_the_view_again/>

[12] Hilton, Perez. "Kathy Griffin Banned From CNN! | PerezHilton.com." Celebrity Gossip Juicy Celebrity Rumors Hollywood Gossip Blog from Perez Hilton. 5 Jan. 2010. Web. 31 July 2011. <http://perezhilton.com/2010-01-05-kathy-griffin-banned-from-cnn>.

[13] Hilton, Perez. "Kathy Griffin Banned From CNN! | PerezHilton.com." Celebrity Gossip Juicy Celebrity Rumors Hollywood Gossip Blog from Perez Hilton. 5 Jan. 2010. Web. 31 July 2011. <http://perezhilton.com/2010-01-05-kathy-griffin-banned-from-cnn>.