Kathy Griffin Claims CNN Backed Out of Hiring Leslie Jones as New Year's Eve Co-host

Kathy Griffin may have made peace with the fact that she won't be returning to co-host CNN's New Year's Eve Live countdown with Anderson Cooper this year, but that doesn't mean she is ready to play nice with the network just yet.

In a lengthy Twitter thread on Monday morning, the comedian spilled some tea about the show -- from which she was fired last year after appearing in a photo with a severed Donald Trump dummy head covered in ketchup -- and claimed that she is not the only funny lady who has been dissed and dismissed by the program. According to her, Saturday Night Live star Leslie Jones was also in consideration for the job of co-hosting the news network's New Year's Eve special.

"I heard from a few different people that the hilarious Leslie Jones was in talks to co-host CNN's New Year's telecast with Anderson Cooper this year," Griffin wrote. "I was elated when I heard this news. If I can't get the gig, I will cheer for Leslie. I don't know her, but I thought it was such a great idea for CNN to have a woman of color over 50 who is so sharp, improvisational, and hilarious. I was ready to congratulate her publicly."

Griffin claimed, however, that Jones' offer was downgraded and ultimately removed for reasons Griffin said she couldn't quite believe.

"As I started asking around to find out when CNN was going to announce Leslie as co-host, I heard that they had downgraded her to a couple of segments or some sort of a guest role. Anything less than co-hosting screams to me very little or no pay, and a lack of respect for someone who is such a proven talent, has a big fan base, and knows what she's doing. She has paid her dues and then some!" she wrote.

Griffin went on to speculate that Jones' SNL network NBC may have stepped in to keep her in-house but claimed she didn't quite buy that explanation. (Jones, who has yet to respond to Griffin's tweets, has been tapped to co-host NBC's New Years Eve with fellow NBC favorites Carson Daly, host of The Voice and reporter for The Today Show, and Chrissy Teigen, who recently starred with her musician husband John Legend in A Legendary Christmas with John and Chrissy for the network.)

Griffin went on to detail some of her own experiences working for the CNN New Year's Eve broadcast, claiming that she was not paid for the job for her first two years and was rebuffed when she requested a raise later on during her tenure.

Kathy Griffin was replaced by Watch What Happens Live host Andy Cohen, who will return to co-host the show again this year.

TV Guide has reached out to representatives for Leslie Jones, NBC and CNN for comment and will update when available.