Kathy Griffin apologises for photo shoot with bloodied Trump mask, says she 'went too far'

'The image is too disturbing. I understand how it offends people, it wasn't funny, I get it'

Kathy Griffin has issued an apology for posing alongside a bloodied replica of Donald Trump's head, in a shoot with famed photographer Tyler Shields.

The image was first published by TMZ; the gruesome shot - which seemed to evoke terrorist beheadings - has been quickly condemned by all sides of the political spectrum.

Donald Trump Jr. wrote on Twitter, "Disgusting but not surprising. This is the left today. They consider this acceptable. Imagine a conservative did this to Obama as POTUS?" Debra Messing, meanwhile, pointed out: "It wasn't write when people hung lynched Obama effigies, just as what Kathy Griffin did isn't right now."

Chelsea Clinton added her own voice, stating: "This is vile and wrong. It is never funny to joke about killing a president."

Griffin reportedly joked during the shoot that she and Shields would need to move to Mexico once the pictures were released, out of fear they'd otherwise be thrown in jail.

Following the intense online backlash, Griffin posted a video on her own Twitter apologising for the photos, despite initially defending them; she initially wrote that she does not "condone ANY violence by my fans or others to anyone" and was "merely mocking the Mocker in Chief". Those tweets have since been deleted.

"I sincerely apologize," she stated. "I went way too far. The image is too disturbing. I understand how it offends people, it wasn't funny, I get it." She then begged for forgiveness over the incident, while promising that she will ask the photographer to take down the image.

Shields is known for shooting his A-list subjects in shocking and controversial ways, with his 2013 book The Dirty Side of Glamour including the likes of Lindsay Lohan, Hayden Panettiere, Emma Roberts, and Demi Lovato.