Kathy Griffin's latest stunt has backfired spectacularly, drawing ire from progressives and conservatives alike.

The American comedian was forced to apologise on Wednesday after a video of her holding a severed head went viral. The bloodied head had an uncanny likeness to president Donald Trump.

"I caption this, 'There was blood coming out of his eyes, blood coming out of his... whatever," Griffin wrote on Twitter, mocking Trump's campaign trail jibe at former Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly.

The gag drew condemnation not just from Trump supporters, but the likes of progressives. Among them was Chelsea Clinton, who described the joke as "vile and wrong".