15 scheduled live performances, owing to bomb threats, which she estimates cost her more than a million dollars. Thousands of death threats rolled in, some of her close friends abandoned her, and even her beloved Fox News–loving mother, Maggie Griffin, joked to her daughter that she would not have her support.

A carefully choreographed apology tour might have helped Griffin move past the controversy — the video she filmed the day the photo was released felt hasty, and a defensive press conference a few days later was widely criticized after Griffin (who had, after all, fired the first salvo against Trump) presented herself as a victim. But moving on doesn’t seem to be on Griffin’s mind: The short promotional video she just released for her new Laugh Your Headsaw the photo on Twitter, I assumed it was a private, unfortunate gag that had leaked somehow. (Despite Griffin’s reputation as a shock comic, she is also an astute manager of her image and her act who keeps a First Amendment attorney on retainer.)

I called Griffin as the heat was building, but at that point she wasn’t at all concerned. Her first question was, “Oh, is it getting around?” I discouraged her from posting the photo on her own accounts, which have millions of followers, but there was no stopping her — she told me that she was well-versed in dealing with controversy. After it became clear that Griffin stood behind the image, a brewing controversy turned into a full-on firestorm. Three hours later, I got an Instagram