Comedian Kathy Griffin has made a public plea to Elon Musk to drop his lawsuit against her, claiming that her tweet in which she joked about Musk being “on the spectrum” was meant as a harmless joke and not as an insult.
In a series of tweets, Griffin apologized to Musk for any offense caused and expressed her hope that he would reconsider his legal action against her.
“Dear @elonmusk. I’m sorry. I was joking,” wrote Griffin. “I’m a comic, and sometimes I cross the line. But I never meant to hurt anyone. Please drop the lawsuit. Let’s move on.”
The lawsuit in question was filed by Musk in response to a tweet by Griffin in which she referred to him as “Elon Musk on the spectrum,” a reference to the fact that Musk has publicly discussed his diagnosis of Asperger’s syndrome. Musk claimed that the tweet was defamatory and that it caused him significant harm to his reputation.
Griffin’s plea for mercy has been met with mixed reactions from fans and critics, with some praising her for owning up to her mistake and attempting to make amends, while others have accused her of insensitivity and of not taking the issue seriously enough.
For his part, Musk has not yet commented publicly on Griffin’s plea, and it is unclear whether he intends to drop the lawsuit or to pursue it further.