Ramping up to a nail-biting election, a slew of people with steadfast political beliefs and questionable moral values descended on New York City from far and wide. They made their pilgrimage with intention, arriving in the city to attend an event held by their favorite former reality TV star. This was their chance to show their support for someone who amassed their loyal audience by “telling it like it is,” consequences be damned.

When you leave out identifying details, it’s almost scary how similar crimson-haired comedian Kathy Griffin and political lightning rod Donald Trump are to one another. They both leveraged their fame for highly successful mid-aughts reality shows; they both used television to become zeitgeist staples for a new generation; and they both were investigated at a federal level. And yet, Griffin and Trump couldn’t be more different, which is why it’s almost cosmically funny that these rivals had shows scheduled for the same late October weekend, in the same city, 20 blocks apart.

Related

Griffin’s “My Life on the PTSD List” comedy tour stopped at New York’s historic Carnegie Hall Oct. 26, less than 24 hours before Trump took the stage for his rally at the decidedly less chic Madison Square Garden. Though the two events didn’t overlap, Trump’s presence marked the streets outside Griffin’s venue. The former president’s supporters parked their souped-up pickup trucks covered in tacky decals and flags outside Carnegie Hall, blasting Kid Rock music and holding styrofoam busts poorly made up to look like Griffin. (The shade of red chosen for the wig was all wrong.)

While Trump’s rally was a queasy melange of racist insults and frightening promises, Griffin’s show was a spectacle of raw, force-of-nature talent. Her audience remained doubled over in laughter for two straight hours as the comedian worked her way through a laundry list of what she’s been through since Trump’s election in 2016. Like Griffin’s Emmy-winning Bravo show “My Life on the D-List,” the new standup tour deftly balances outrageous stories about Griffin’s celebrity run-ins with thoughtful ruminations on life, death and moving forward in the public eye. At 63, Griffin’s humor has never been more finely tuned; her........

© Salon