Exclusive

Bristol Jokes Won't Keep Kathy Griffin From New Year's Duties on CNN

Comic confirms she's been invited back to cohost CNN's New Year's Eve special

By Josh Grossberg, Whitney English Dec 10, 2010 1:40 AMTags

America's quirkiest New Year's couple will be rocking Times Square again.

Despite some online speculation that "fat jokes" about Bristol Palin had jeopardized Kathy Griffin's chances of reuniting with Anderson Cooper for CNN's New Year's Eve countdown this year, the card-carrying D-Lister exclusively tells E! News she hasn't been demoted.

Take it away, Kathy...

"I am thrilled to be joining forces with Anderson Cooper one more time on CNN—and his steely blue eyes—as we join forces to protect the world against Ryan Seacrest," she said, referring to the E! News anchor's standing gig on ABC's Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve.

Oh, that Kathy and her vendettas.

PopEater claimed yesterday that CNN might uninvite the 50-year-old Griffin after she poked fun at the Dancing With the Stars finalist's weight and called Palin "the white Precious" during VH1's Divas Salute the Troops gala. The remarks were met with boos from the servicemen and -women in attendance.

As for the conservative teen mom, she didn't abstain from hitting back at Griffin on (where else) Fox News, writing: "The audience's reaction to this 'comedian' spoke volumes, and the decent people I know would probably have booed her, too."

Per PopEater, CNN execs supposedly already had the funnylady on a short leash after last year's on-air antics, when she dropped the F-bomb, joked about needing some cocaine and made a crack about Cooper masturbating.

"They invited me back—I got fired and rehired again," Griffin explained.

A rep for CNN was unavailable for comment, but the comedian already has her game plan down.

"I will be trying to throw Anderson off his game in any way possible," she revealed. "I'm really just there to try to get Anderson Cooper fired."

And, she promised, "I'm absolutely going to kiss Anderson Cooper at midnight. It's where I'm going to kiss him that you don't know yet."