On 16 September 2007, the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences awarded their Emmy for “Outstanding Reality Program” to My Life on the D-List , a show detailing the travails of Kathy Griffin, a stand-up comedienne and television bit player. (The series title was a sly joke in that Hollywood is presumed to have three strata of celebrity status: A-list, B-list, and C-list. A D-list celebrity would therefore be an oxymoron.)

As Executive Producer and star of the series, Kathy Griffin accepted the Emmy won by the show. Her remarks upon receiving the award were: “Now, look, a lot of people come up here and they thank Jesus for this award. I want you to know that no one had less to do with this award than Jesus. He didn’t help me a bit. If it was up to him, Cesar Millan would be up here with that damn dog. So all I can say is suck it Jesus, this award is my God now”:

The E! Network’s airing of the awards ceremony removed Griffin’s remarks from the broadcast. Griffin herself appeared proud of her comments, labeling them on her website as “what will go down as one of the best quotes in Emmy history.”

Others were less taken with the her remarks. The members of Pigeon Forge, Tennessee’s, Miracle Theater spent $100,000 on an ad in USA Today chastising the comic.

Griffin said she was simply parodying rappers, starlets, and athletes who thank Jesus for the recognitions they receive “as if Jesus doesn’t have anything better to do than make sure that someone got their People’s Choice Award or whatever.”

Regarding her reaction to the criticism her remarks fetched, Griffin told CNN’s Larry King that: “I just am loving it. It’s in the newspapers around the world and every article starts with, ‘Emmy winner Kathy Griffin’ and then the letters all just blur after that.'”