by Dominic D.

Created on: December 10, 2010

The troops at the Marine Corps Air Station in California booed Kathy Griffin at "VH1 Divas Salute the Troops" for a lame joke taunting  Bristol Palin.

For those that are not aware of what happened; the failed joke went like this. "We got two words for Bristol Palin," Kathy Griffin began, which was almost instantly answered by jeering from the audience. " You're  gonna like this...(Bristol is) the only contestant in the history of the show to actually gain weight...She gained like 30 pounds a week. I swear to God, it was fantastic- she's like the white "Precious."At this point came cat calls and escalating booing from the crowd.

A friend of Kathy Griffin  said that Kathy was actually surprised by the reaction, and wasn't quite sure why the audience was booing. She wondered if it was the "fat" part or the "Palin" part of the joke that the troops protested. However, this is not enough for Kathy Griffin to stop telling Bristol Palin jokes, on the other hand, it put her in the news.

Comedians are often known for their attacks on famous and not so famous people. Many times they speak out loud what many may actually think, but dare not tell anyone. This is what makes these comedians, at times, uncomfortable to watch. Anyone who has been to live shows where comedians are featured are often shocked by the language used or the degrading jokes that are told, and may times at the audience's expense. And a good rule of thumb is, if you want to stay out of the comedian's way, do not sit anywhere near the front of the stage.

Another thing to remember is, once you go for the limelight, you are open season for any comedian to take a stab at. ( Just look at all the talk show hosts as they scan the days' news)

I doubt if this incident put any kind of dent in Kathy Griffin's career, although I'm sure there are many who wish it so.Most  comedians thrive on the  controversial, often going out of there way to find it. Some like Kathy Griffin just seem to attract it, but most likely because she is not afraid to tackle a subject that others may find too risky.

A side note to all of this is that  there was talk at VH1 about editing out the joke and the reaction to it but decided to leave it in. This  was done as a marketing move to make the event feel live.

In conclusion, Kathy is a big girl who is used to controversy  and a failed joke,and I'm sure she will make the best of the whole situation.

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