Kathy Griffin has always been brash, outspoken, and critical about celebrity culture, yet she’s also self-deprecating, especially about how she fits into said culture. So perhaps it’s not surprising that she would claim to be banned from “Today.” But was she really, and at Natalie Morales’ request?
“I just found out, I’m very excited, I’m re-banned from the ‘Today’ show,” Griffin told USA Today in 2012, claiming she had been banned previously by the likes of Katie Couric and Matt Lauer. “This time my camp heard that it was actually Natalie Morales.” Griffin explained how she’d worked with Morales on the NBC panel show “The Marriage Ref,” and they met during Griffin’s previous “Today” appearances (in 2009 and 2010, per IMDb). “What I heard from their team is that I was rude to her at the Golden Globes. Which is funny because I didn’t go to the Golden Globes,” Griffin said. She also said she didn’t remember seeing Morales at any Globes parties.
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Morales also says there’s no beef there. When a Twitter fan asked if the ban was true, Morales said, “No. Total bogus PR.” “Today” also chimed in, supporting Morales in a statement (via RadarOnline). “There was no incident between Natalie and Kathy at the Golden Globes or anywhere else,” the outlet stated. “In fact Natalie is a big fan of Kathy’s.” Perhaps Griffin was joking to promote her new talk show. Meanwhile, Morales has skirted scandal before and since.
