Censorship of 'Suck it, Jesus!' protested

Censorship of 'Suck it, Jesus!' protested

'This is something I'd expect in a nation like Saudi Arabia … Afghanistan'

Posted: September 15, 2007
1:00 a.m. Eastern

© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com

Kathy Griffin
After an uproar, Kathy Griffin's "Suck it, Jesus!" remark was eliminated from the broadcast tonight of the 59th annual Creative Arts Emmy Awards, but not everyone is happy.

Ellen Johnson, president of American Atheists, has called for a boycott of the Emmy awards, likening the decision by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences to actions by radical Islamic states.

Johnson said "this is something I'd expect in a nation like Saudi Arabia or Taliban-controlled Afghanistan."

Griffin's fans have created a website, SuckItJesus.com, urging her "mild, and comedic" speech to be aired on E!

After eliciting laughter from the Hollywood audience that watched Griffin accept the award, New York magazine gave her "kudos" for her "joyfully blasphemous rant."

The magazine said "thank God we can always count on Kathy Griffin to inject a little energy into a boring awards show," which will be seen tonight on the E! network.

As WND reported, Griffin, the star of the Bravo show "My Life on the D-List," used her appearance on the Emmy program to tell Jesus to "suck it" and to claim full credit for the honor for herself.

The Arizona Daily Star called Griffin's words "interesting" and "refreshing," and a reporter for the Miami Fox network affiliate said her "raunchy" quip was "kind of funny."

Griffin was honored for the Outstanding Reality Program, overtaking ABC's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" after several attempts.

"I guess hell froze over," Griffin announced upon receiving the award. "A lot of people come up here and thank Jesus for this. He had nothing to do with this. ... This award is my god now."

The statement brought an immediate reaction from Bill Donohue, president of Catholic League. He called it a "vulgar in-your-face brand of hate speech" from a self-described "complete militant atheist." He also suggested Academy of Television Arts & Sciences chairman Dick Askin take action, which resulted in the remarks being edited from the program.

Since then, Donohue has declared victory and says he's "pleased to learn that Griffin's celebrity stock has plummeted as a result of her scripted speech."

But he added, "we also know that there are some very sick people out there who love it every time some bigot takes a shot at Christianity. To wit: the phone calls and messages we've received are proof positive of how visceral the hatred is, much of it aimed directly at the Catholic League. No matter, at the end of the day, Griffin lost and we won."