"They didn’t just lash out at people with nothing but a profanity-laced verbal attack and then call it a bit."
I disagree. Kathy Griffin was paid to co-host the countdown BECAUSE she has a quick mouth. That is her bit. CNN got what they paid for. Because her profanity was not rehearsed and read from a cue card does not mean it is not part of the joke.
She's a one-trick pony. That's all she's got. I don't know or care why they hired her, if you're trying to compare her to comedians like Pryor or Murphy you have to compare apples to apples.
"Because her profanity was not rehearsed and read from a cue card does not mean it is not part of the joke."
What joke? Any lame-brained, knuckle-dragging idiot can spew profanity. Doesn't mean it's funny or even clever. If that's your standard of comedy, you really ought to think about raising the bar just a little - maybe aim for the curb above the gutter.