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Kathy Griffin

Kathy Griffin’s trip to Iraq offers insight into the troops’ lives, and “highly inappropriate” jokes

by Andy Dehnart 27 Jun. 2006 | 7:33 am

Tonight, Bravo series Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List wraps up a story arc about Kathy’s visit to Iraq. As unlikely as this sounds, this ordinarily light and fun reality show has, over the course of these two episodes, illustrated for us the situation in Iraq much better than television usually does.

Last week’s episode, which repeats tonight at 8 p.m. ET before the new episode (and at 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.), was, in part, a vivid portrait of our troops’ experiences there, from the constant fear of attack to the “profanity will not be tolerated” sign that hangs in the hanger where Kathy delivers her act and calls Iraq a “shithole.”

Kathy is completely herself throughout the whole trip, having Matt do her hair while staying in one of Saddam’s former palaces, noting her D-list status when she’s ignored, and joking constantly. Thus, she’s an excellent lens for us to see what American (and Iraqi) men and women go through on a daily basis. As Kathy said, “It’s scary enough for us to imagine being attacked, but the soldiers have to deal with it on a daily basis, which is pretty incredible when you think about it.”

After visiting Kuwait, Kathy, Matt, Michael McDonald, and Karri Turner from JAG traveled to Tikrit, and then to Baghdad. They visit wounded soldiers in a hospital, including one whose fiance and best friend were killed while he was walking alongside them. The whole trip comes off as slightly self-congratulatory, because they’re crediting themselves with being the only bright spot in the soldier’s lives. But the soldiers seem to agree; one tells the camera that Kathy’s act was “highly inappropriate and hilarious–exactly what the soldiers needed.”

The visit is not apolitical, but whether you agree with Kathy Griffin’s politics or not, or whether you’re one of the 15 people who still thinks the war was a good idea or not, her visit is insightful and revealing. As Kathy said during last week’s episode, “The more I’m in an actual war zone, the more it’s just ugly. It’s not cool, it’s not a Toby Keith song, it’s not opening up a can of whoop-ass. It’s just horrible. I don’t know. Is it really worth losing so many of our own?”

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about Andy Dehnart

Andy Dehnart’s writing and criticism about television, culture, and media has appeared on NPR and in Vulture, Pacific Standard, The Los Angeles Times, and other publications. He has covered reality television for more than 18 years, and created reality blurred in 2000.

A member of the Television Critics Association who serves on its board of directors, Andy, 41, also directs the journalism program at Stetson University in Florida, where he teaches creative nonfiction and journalism. He has an M.F.A. in nonfiction writing and literature from Bennington College. Learn more about reality blurred and Andy.

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about reality blurred

reality blurred is your guide to the world of reality TV and unscripted entertainment, with reality show reviews, news, and analysis. It was created in 2000 by Andy Dehnart. He's still writing and publishing it today.

reality blurred is regularly updated with highlights from the world of reality TV: news and analysis; behind-the-scenes reports; interviews with reality TV show cast members and producers; and recaps and reviews of these reality TV shows, including Survivor, Big Brother, The Great British Baking Show, Shark Tank, The Amazing Race, The Bachelor, Project Runway, Dancing with the Stars, Top Chef, and many more.

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