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“DHS in particular is trying to use Twitter [and Instagram] as a form of not just recruitment but also promotion,” says Joan Donovan, assistant professor at Boston University and the coauthor of Meme Wars: The Untold Story of the Online Battles Upending Democracy in America, “and the kind of promotion that they’re doing is targeted toward, I would say, young men in their teenage years or twenties.”

When asked for comment, DHS assistant secretary for public affairs Tricia McLaughlin responded: “What a silly little story. Who are these “experts”?

“What’s “cruel” is the media continuing to ignore victims of murder, rape, human trafficking, and gang violence as you continue to do the bidding of violent criminal illegal aliens,” McLaughlin added.

In response to a request for comment, White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said, “The White House social media account often highlights the deportations of heinous criminal illegal aliens who have terrorized American communities. WIRED and their so-called ‘experts, that they refused to provide additional information on, should cover what’s actually cruel—criminal illegal aliens murdering, raping, and assaulting innocent American citizens as a direct result of Joe Biden’s open border and Democrat sanctuary city policies. And while WIRED runs cover for criminal illegal aliens, we won’t apologize for posting banger memes.”

(Around 70 percent of ICE detainees have no criminal record at all, and many of those with convictions committed only minor crimes, like traffic or immigration infractions).

The mainstreaming of dehumanizing humor is what troubles Kurt Braddock, an assistant professor in the school of communication at American University who studies the persuasive effects of extremist propaganda. “I don’t think that this messaging is bad because it’s mean, or because it’s sloppy, or because it’s unbecoming of the Office of the President, although all these things I do believe are true,” says Braddock. “My biggest problem with it is that it normalizes aggression. With the normalization of aggression and the normalization of the dehumanization of others, immigrants or otherwise, it’s not much of a jump to actual violence.”

Memes have always been core to President Donald Trump’s political strategy, says Donovan: “One of the things that was very distinctive about Trump’s meme campaigns in 2016 is his Twitter account almost appeared to most people as just chaos, because he had about six or seven different audiences that he was talking to all at once.”

That chaotic style of messaging now extends to his administration. Some of these posts rack up tens of thousands of likes and get reshared across other platforms, like on Proud Boy’s Telegram channels or big pro-police Facebook groups. A few of them have even inspired T-shirt designs.

Taken all together, the DHS social feeds reflect the jumbled far-right ecosystem, which combines the banal language of everyday memes with 4chan humor, old-school white-supremacist dog whistles, and overtures to Christian nationalism. And the new, shiny packaging is very much the point. “Short bursts of imagery and music appeal emotionally in ways that facts and data often don’t,” says Brian Levin, the founder of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino. “It functions as an emotionally familiar and comforting gift-wrap that here revolves around protection, preservation, fear and tribalism.”

Kathy Griffin, the Emmy-winning comedian known for her brash humor and ever-changing wigs, was barely recognizable this week as she stepped out near her Malibu home with wild, natural hair and no makeup—an unfiltered look that contrasted starkly with the carefully curated image many associate with her.

Netizens were, to put it bluntly, ruthless. Her appearance drew comparisons to horror movie characters, with one user writing, “We can stop looking for Pennywise,” and another calling her “Kathy the Chucky Doll.”

“Looking great,” one commenter wrote sarcastically. “I understand you will be available in late October for haunting houses.”

Kathy Griffin was compared to horror movie characters after being photographed without wigs or makeup

Image credits: David Crotty / Getty Images

The 64-year-old was photographed in casual attire: a white T-shirt from her 2018 Laugh Your Head Off World Tour, paired with black pants and sneakers.

Her appearance shocked viewers who have grown accustomed to her usual glam, appearing almost unrecognizable when compared to the camera-ready version her fans saw in a recent video.

Image credits: Robin L Marshall / Getty Images

In the clip, uploaded on June 19, Griffin sat next to one of her famous wigs and opened up about turning down a $1.4 million offer to host The View—the long-running daytime talk show known for its politically charged conversations—refusing to join celebrities such as Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, and others.

For the comedian, the lucrative offer clashed with her demanding tour schedule and responsibilities caring for her aging parents.

Netizens wasted no time in making fun of the comedian, creating memes and cracking jokes at her expense

Image credits: BACKGRID / Vidapress

The news about her career was swiftly overshadowed by conversation around her unfiltered appearance, with comments that ranged from surprise, to outright ageism.

“Women over 55 need to manage their looks before they step outside the house,” a reader wrote.

“That photo startled me. Frightening,” another added.

Going to tell my kids this was Kathy Griffin pic.twitter.com/ofWjGW9VnE

— Bulldog (@Bulldog78932701) July 2, 2025

Image credits: Tylerspsamom

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Image credits: SullyBlover

Image credits: honorablesaint

Adding fuel to the fire were before-and-after comparisons that put pictures of her dolled-up look side-by-side with the recent paparazzi shots.

Image credits: kathygriffin / Instagram

“Ok, so the good news is that even on your roughest day, there is hope,” a viewer said. 

“Because if the people in these two photos can be the same person, then there is hope for us all. Props to proper hairstyle, makeup and lighting.”

Image credits: kathygriffin / Instagram

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Some tried to sympathize with Griffin, reflecting on the pressures and limits that come with being in the spotlight—where even something mundane as a casual walk can make them the target of relentless online mockery.

Kathy Griffin steps out in her natural beauty: Makeup-free and embracing her natural hair. pic.twitter.com/33R7snh1u2

— Maga Conservative Dr Ken Dabb (@DabbKen) July 3, 2025

Kathy Griffin cosplaying as Pennywise. pic.twitter.com/d1rO5t0vse

— Steve (@SteveLovesAmmo) July 2, 2025

“It’s never a good idea, when you are a celebrity of any sort, to leave the house not looking your best. This is a perfect example,” one user wrote.

“I had no idea she was even relevant anymore. She absolutely looks atrocious…”

The comedian was “cancelled” after recording herself holding a bloodied replica of Donald Trump’s severed head

Image credits: Kathy Griffin / YouTube

But beyond comparisons to horror movie characters such as Chucky and Pennywise the Clown, there may be another reason as to why the backlash was so merciless.

Image credits: kathygriffin / Instagram

Griffin, a self-described progressive and longtime critic of conservative figures, has become a lighting rod for controversy in recent years—particularly after a career-defining scandal that managed to alienate many Americans.

Kathy Griffin looks exactly as you’d expect. pic.twitter.com/TbFV2A0Ice

— Ty’s Tough Talk (@toughtalkty) July 2, 2025

In 2017, the comedian filmed herself holding a realistic, bloodied replica of Donald Trump’s sev*r*d head.

Image credits: nrkbeta / Flickr

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The image caused outrage not only among those who support the current President, but even among those who hold more neutral views.

The stunt was deemed disturbing, tone-deaf, and offensive—particularly due to its eerie resemblance to propaganda videos from Middle Eastern terro**st groups that defined the later half of the 2010s.

Image credits: kathygriffin / Instagram

The fallout was severe. Griffin lost endorsements, gigs, and was even placed under federal investigation.

Image credits: kathygriffin / Instagram

“I sincerely apologize,” the comedian said in a follow-up video. “I’m a comic, I cross the line. I move the line, then I cross it. I went way too far.”

Those words would be short lived, as she would later retract her apology and would go on to reuse the controversial image while promoting her 2019 film, Kathy Griffin: A Hell of a Story.

me seeing those pictures of Kathy Griffin going around pic.twitter.com/dwNfaGZoIn

— drefanzor memes (@drefanzor) July 2, 2025

“I’m no longer sorry. The whole outrage was BS,” she said in an interview with Australian media.

“She blames everyone except for herself. Freedom of speech has consequences,” a user wrote at the time.

“Unrecognizable.” Netizens held nothing back in making fun of the comedian

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