VH1 Divas: Kathy Griffin's Bristol Palin fat joke falls flat

Kathy Griffin, always edgy in her humor, needs to be a little more diplomatic when speaking to the troops.

As host of the VH1 Divas Salute the Troops special that aired Sunday night (Dec. 5), Griffin set the tone for the night, claiming that she was given a long list of guidelines when it came to her humor. She read some of them to the military audience, mocking the each item in turn, including a directive not to make fun of body deformities.

At that point she proceeded to mock her own body deformity: A left breast that's slightly larger than her right. Deformities aside though, Griffin got a rather tepid response when she brought up "Dancing With the Stars" contestant Bristol Palin .

"She's the only contestant in the history of the show to actually gain weight," said Griffin. "She's like the white 'Precious.'"

After the joke fell flat, Griffin changed the subject quickly to the "Jersey Shore," calling out The Situation and Snooki as backup.



Here's the thing:

1. Bringing up Bristol Palin up in front of the military probably isn't the best idea. Besides many of them being conservative politically, it's the sons and daughters of America (like Bristol and her son) that the troops are fighting for.

2. Also, resorting to fat jokes? That's just low. Kathy, just because you're skinny and prancing around in a bullet-laden bikini on stage doesn't mean that others are meant to be built that way also.

3. USO shows are supposed to be positive, thanking the military for what they do. It's really no time for mean-spiritedness.

Palin isn't the only one that Griffin mocked for her weight at the concert. The host also commented that Jessica Simpson wasn't present because "she couldn't fit in the hangar."

We love ya, Kathy. Just lay off the fat jokes.