Conservative pundit Tomi Lahren is dressing up as comedian Kathy Griffin for Halloween, mocking Griffin's now infamous photo shoot in which she posed with a prop resembling President Donald Trump's decapitated head.
Lahren posted a picture to social media of herself in costume, captioned it "Trump Derangement Syndrome," and tagged Griffin.
Trump Derangement Syndrome. Happy Halloween @kathygriffin 😘 https://t.co/MvpRYFVrFj— Tomi Lahren (@Tomi Lahren) 1540995472.0
The photograph was clearly meant to provoke Griffin, whose original shoot is featured below.
Lahren also posted the picture to Instagram.
“He ruined me. Sometimes I do things and you may wonder, Kathy, where is your head at? Well folks, I’m taking matters into my own hands,” she wrote, in part.
Griffin soon responded, calling Lahren a "dumb, racist, and talentless hack."
Gosh you are just so original @TomiLahren! I thought images like this one incite violence! At least that’s what you… https://t.co/r2rGxWfcRE— Kathy Griffin (@Kathy Griffin) 1541003072.0
"I thought images like this one incite violence!" Griffin wrote, a reference to much of the criticism she received from Lahren and other conservatives for her protest against the president.
Lahren's soon fired back.
You’re right Kathy, if I was trying to impersonate you I should have worn the clown mask instead. That’s my bad! Ha… https://t.co/fk9zUoEkbY— Tomi Lahren (@Tomi Lahren) 1541010945.0
If all of this sounds childish, consider that the two women have a history of sparring.
In May 2017, Griffin posted a video of herself holding a prop meant to resemble President Trump's severed head.
"I caption this 'there was blood coming out of his eyes, blood coming out of his...wherever," she wrote at the time, referencing a past comment Trump made about former Fox News anchorwoman Megyn Kelly.
Griffin was savaged for the image, and several members of the Trump family criticized her. Soon afterward, she removed the photo from her social media accounts and asked for forgiveness. The backlash cost Griffin marketing deals and her spot on CNN's New Year's Eve broadcast with Anderson Cooper. The FBI and Secret Service investigated her to determine if she was, in fact, a threat to the president. In the fall of 2017, Griffin retracted her apology.
“I didn’t commit a crime,” she would later tellThe Hollywood Reporter. “I didn’t rape anybody. I didn’t assault anybody. I didn’t get a DUI. I mean, my God, there are celebrities that fucking kill people.”
The incident spurred a controversy on the limits of First Amendment rights. Lahren was one of Griffin's more prominent critics. Soon after the photo shoot, Lahren called Griffin a "demented a-hole."
Oh don't worry, I'll defend Kathy Griffin's 1st Amendment right to make herself look like the demented a-hole she is! 🇺🇸🇺🇸#KathyGriffin— Tomi Lahren (@Tomi Lahren) 1496183459.0
Griffin called Lahren an "evil, horrible shell of a human being."
“Sit down, Michelle” @TomiLahren says.... Oh really you dime store Barbie? Mrs. Obama may go high, but I certain… https://t.co/xIn0f5a9UK— Kathy Griffin (@Kathy Griffin) 1537824157.0
Last month, after months of criticizing Griffin, Fox News invited Griffin to interview with Lahren for Fox Nation, the network's upcoming digital streaming platform. Griffin declined.
Dear @TomiLahren, You and your network told me my career was over and that I was irrelevant. Now you want to inte… https://t.co/HN5fkrZRU5— Kathy Griffin (@Kathy Griffin) 1536086123.0
“Thought maybe you’d like to defend and discuss your Trump Derangement Syndrome on the most-watched cable news network. Guess not! Have a nice day," Lahren wrote Griffin afterward.
Thought maybe you’d like to defend and discuss your Trump Derangement Syndrome on the most-watched cable news netwo… https://t.co/rjCWfaN0R4— Tomi Lahren (@Tomi Lahren) 1536086635.0
More as this story develops.