'I went too far': Kathy Griffin apologizes for posting image of President Trump's severed head after furious backlash and Secret Service suggests she will be investigated
- Griffin was seen holding up the severed head for photographer Tyler Shields
- She joked that she would have to leave the country after the shoot
- 'This is vile and wrong. It is never funny to joke about killing a president,' said Chelsea Clinton
- But she did spur outrage online, with many calling for her to be arrested
- The act was interpreted by many as a threat towards the president
- Griffin said she 'obviously' does not condone violence
- She was 'mocking the mocker in chief,' she claimed on Twitter
Kathy Griffin has apologized for posting a photo of President Trump's severed head after furious backlash - including from Chelsea Clinton - and the Secret Service tweeted suggested she may be investigated over the stunt.
The controversial comedian tweeted 'I am sorry. I went too far. I was wrong' after Griffin was seen slowly raising Trump's head during a photoshoot with infamous photographer Tyler Shields.
But the apology was not enough to stop an army of critics, both Trump supporters and Democrats from attacking Griffin on social media for the outrageous stunt.
Meanwhile, the Secret Service - while not citing the video or image - chose this tome to remind its followers on Twitter that the agency monitors social media and took any threats against the president very seriously.
'On it! @SecretService has a robust protective intelligence division that monitors open source reporting & social media to evaluate threats.'
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Heads up: Comedian Kathy Griffin sparked fury from Trump supporters on Tuesday after footage emerged of her holding up a fake severed Donald Trump head
The controversial comedian tweeted 'I am sorry. I went too far. I was wrong' after the stunt
'Threats made against @SecretService protectees receive the highest priority of all of our investigations. #ProtectionNeverRests.'
Even former first daughter Chelsea Clinton was quick to express her outrage at Griffin tweeting: 'This is vile and wrong. It is never funny to joke about killing a president.
Griffin, an outspoken opponent of Trump who is best known for presenting the New Year's Eve countdown with Anderson Cooper on CNN, is seen holding the head, which is slathered in fake blood.
During footage of the shoot, posted on her own official website Griffin said: 'Tyler and I are not afraid to make images that make noise.'
That's certainly what happened when the footage and pictures hit the web.
The Secret Service - while not citing the video or image - chose this tome to remind its followers on Twitter that the agency monitors social media and took any threats against the president very seriously
Even former first daughter Chelsea Clinton was quick to express her outrage at Griffin tweeting: 'This is vile and wrong. It is never funny to joke about killing a president
The shocking images quickly set social media alight, with many calling for her to be locked up for supposedly 'threatening' the president.
'This is discusting [sic] Kathy Griffin has never been funny,' said self-styled conservative paralegal NativeCA. 'This should be reported to the FBI & Twitter.'
Meanwhile, @nancygolliday said 'Parading beheading of POTUS makes @kathygriffing a terrorist and an enemy of the state. She needs to be treated as such.'
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And Dr J wrote: 'You're disgusting. Honor our military but dishonor our President and Commander in Chief? You'd behead our President? Hypocrite.'
Griffin had posted a video on Memorial Day in which she invited people to give a moment's silence for those who died fighting for America.
Donald Trump Jr also stepped up to the plate to bat for his dad, saying: 'Disgusting but not surprising.
'This is the left today. They consider this acceptable. Imagine a conservative did this to Obama as POTUS?'
Even some self-described liberals got in on the act.
'Big time Liberal here - and a Kathy Griffin fan - and I agree,' said Tanya Crosse. 'This is not ok and there is no excuse. She should immediately apologize.'
Meanwhile, Simar wrote: 'We can't knock the alt right for promoting hate speech & then support Kathy Griffin for promoting violence against the President.'
In footage of the shoot, Griffin is seen joking that she and Shields will have to flee the country once it gets out.
'We have to move to Mexico today,' she said, 'because we're gonna go to prison. Federal prison.
'Call your dad, apologize, then let's you [and me] go to Mexico because we're not surviving this.'
She's seen in the footage lifting the grisly 'head' out of a metal bowl, then rotating it towards the camera until it hits a spot that Shields likes.
Finally, at Shields' demand, she drops it to the ground.
Griffin responded to the outrage with a two-part tweet, the first part of which saw her mocking the imaginary dead president
Mocker: Griffin claimed she was 'merely mocking the Mocker in Chief' in the second part of her tweet, and that she wasn't condoning violence
In the video Griffin says that 'Tyler and I are not afraid to do images that make noise. And also he often lights me to the point where I look about 15.
'But first I'm an artist. But really it's good lighting.'
On Tuesday afternoon Griffin seemed to want to silence some of the 'noise' she'd been so proud of when she tweeted that she didn't condone violence.
However, that only came as the second part of a two-tweet message that began: '1/ I caption this 'there was blood coming out of his eyes, blood coming out of his...wherever' Also @tylershields great Photog/film maker.'
The second tweet read: '2/ OBVIOUSLY, I do not condone ANY violence by my fans or others to anyone, ever! I'm merely mocking the Mocker in Chief.'
Shields had posted the image a few hours before with the message 'Friend text me this 'I hear Tijuana is beautiful this time of year.''
Shields has made a name for himself as a provocative photographer whose images include Lindsay Lohan as a blood-soaked vampire and a KKK member being hanged by a black man.
In 2011 he came under fire for a photo shoot with Glee star Heather Morris in which she sported a 'black eye'. Critics said that he made light of domestic abuse.
He later apologized after receiving death threats, adding: 'If you are anti-domestic abuse spread the word about it. Threatening to kill me is not going to help anything.'
Tyler Shields is famous for taking provocative images of stars such as Lindsay Lohan, He also put this image of Griffin on his blog
Griffin was reportedly inspired by Game of Thrones. In 2011 the show featured the severed head of George W Bush (left); producers apologized and the shot was edited in later showings
Griffin was emulating the beheadings seen in Game of Thrones, according to Daily Wire.
The show came under fire itself in 2011, at the end of its first season, when it featured a shot of George W Bush's head on a stick.
The wax head was one of a number of severed heads placed atop a castle's wall; the producers apologized, and said that there was no political intent.
Rather, they said, they had used it because it was one of a number of pre-made heads they had lying around.
The grisly shot was edited for later airings and DVD releases.
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