Kathy Griffin has shown her support for Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong after he faced backlash for holding up a mask of Donald Trump's face with the word "idiot" written on its forehead during a concert in Washington D.C.
The rock star was playing at Nationals Park on Monday when he held the mask above his head during the song "American Idiot." The move is somewhat reminiscent of the time Griffin, an outspoken Trump critic, faced backlash after posing with the severed head of an effigy of the then-president in 2017.
Griffin said her decision to pose with the head damaged her career. Now the comedian has shared her support for Armstrong on social media.
Griffin posted a photo of the Green Day singer holding the mask of Trump to X (formerly Twitter) and wrote: "I see you @GreenDay & @billiejoe."
The comedian also shared the same photo on Instagram, this time with the caption: "Yknow, i've always liked @greenday & @billiejoearmstrong."
Newsweek emailed a spokesperson for Trump and Griffin and contacted Armstrong via Warner Music Group for comment on Thursday.
The main criticism from people is that this move from Armstrong came a little more than a fortnight after the assassination attempt made against Trump on July 13.
A gunman opened fire while Trump was speaking at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, injuring the former president, killing one attendee, and leaving two others wounded. Suspect Thomas Matthew Crooks was shot and killed at the scene by the Secret Service.
"PATHETIC: Green Day's washed up teenager in an adult body, Billie Joe Armstrong, held up a Trump head before throwing it into the crowd at his concert in Washington DC last night. Just 17 days after Trump was shot. Pure evil," one person posted on X.
"Great work today guys your washed up band just lost more than half its fan base," added another.
"As a big fan, your actions last night were disgusting. Cheering for the death of anyone is disgraceful," someone else wrote.
However, others commented on Armstrong's post on his Instagram account on Wednesday to share their support—and one person wrote that they were the person who threw the mask up on stage.
"DC!!!! (Virginia, Baltimore and all neighboring states) was incredible!!! What a first show! Thank you thank you!!" Armstrong captioned his post, which was a carousel made up of different images from Monday's show.
"I threw the mask up there for you, we're making headlines! You wished my son a happy birthday when you saw his sign and I brought a BJ Guitar backstage to give to you! Please give it to a kid to change his life the way you changed mine 30 years ago at Lollapalooza 94!!!" one person commented.
"Not people telling them to 'stay out of politics' like they haven't made music with political commentary since the beginning of their career. Like they aren't a punk rock band & politically motivated music is a highlight of that sub culture. Like they aren't humans that have family & loved ones that would be affected by policies & laws of any politician," posted another.
A third added: "Can't wait to see you in Charlotte next month! LOL [Laugh out loud]! The MAGAts are losing their s*** over the Halloween mask of tRump!"
According to the U.K. newspaper Daily Mail, the singer allegedly changed the lyrics in the song "American Idiot" from "I'm not a part of a redneck agenda" to "'I'm not a part of a MAGA agenda"—which is something he previously did during the Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve special on ABC—before bringing out the mask.
With lyrics like "Don't want to be an American idiot, one nation controlled by the media," "American Idiot" became an anthem for political protests. In 2018, the song topped the music charts in the U.K. 14 years after its release, ahead of former President Donald Trump's visit to England.
The band Green Day has long been vocal about its distaste for Trump and, in 2016, Armstrong chanted "No Trump, no KKK, no fascist USA" during a performance at the American Music Awards.
Griffin's gory image depicting Trump, which was taken by celebrity photographer Tyler Shields, sparked a widespread outcry, leading to the Suddenly Susan star issuing a public apology.
Griffin later retracted this, saying during an appearance on ABC's The View in 2018: "I take the apology back. F*** him. I'm not holding back on this family. This family is different. I've been through the mill.
"People thought I was ISIS," Griffin continued. "When my mother called—she watches Fox News and thinks it's real and thinks Bill O'Reilly is on vacation—that day, as crazy as it was, I was in a ball, sobbing, everything's over[...]I had to spend two hours convincing my mom I hadn't been recruited by Al-Qaeda.
"My mom got death threats in her retirement village, and my sister got death threats in her hospital bed, and I lost her to cancer—that's why I shaved my head," Griffin added. "That's how vicious it can be."
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