Things are not going well for the crew over at E!’s Fashion Police since Giuliana Rancic’s tasteless joke concerning Zendaya’s locked hair on the Oscar red carpet. There was outrage, apologies, threats from co-host Kelly Osbourne to quit — which she eventually did — and now, another member of Fashion Police is throwing in the towel.
Kathy Griffin, who just recently signed on to fill Joan Rivers’ slot on the show, announced last night via Twitter that she was leaving the E! series after just seven episodes. “When I chose to step into the shoes of my beloved friend Joan Rivers at Fashion Police, I was thrilled to continue her legacy as a woman being brash and eccentric on television,” she wrote. “I thought that I could bring my brand of humor to Fashion Police so that beautiful people in beautiful dresses could be teased when appropriate. My brand of humor, while unrepentant and unafraid, is all about CONTEXT… I do not want to use my comedy to contribute to a culture of unattainable perfectionism and intolerance towards difference.”
Kathy says that while she hopes the best for E!, Fashion Police simply isn’t in line with her personal or professional values. “After 7 episodes of Fashion Police, I discovered that my style does not fit with the creative direction of the show & now it’s time to move on.”
Kathy recently spoke out about “smells like weed-gate,” saying that though Giuliana made the unfortunate comment on air, the joke was written for her. Now that Kathy, E!’s big ticket in the wake of Joan’s passing, and Kelly have walked away from the show, we wonder how much longer the network will keep it up. Fashion Police‘s overall tone has been questioned in the days following the Zendaya debacle, and now that an actual (now former) cast member is calling them out, is it time for the show to fold completely? Or perhaps it’s time to hire hosts who have a bit more knowledge of style, rather than just a quick wit and an opinion.
[via @kathygriffin]
