Kathy Griffin received widespread criticism (and publicity) last week, after some U.S. soldiers reportedly booed the 'fat jokes' she made in early December while hosting 'VH1 Divas: Salute the Troops.' The stand-up comic had cracked that Bristol Palin was seemingly the "only contestant in the history of ['Dancing With the Stars'] to actually gain weight" during the show. She then compared Palin to a "white 'Precious.'"

As a recent 'Chelsea Lately' guest, Griffin, 50, addressed the outcry -- in particular, 'The View' host Elisabeth Hasselbeck's assertion that Griffin was "bullying" Bristol Palin -- telling Chelsea Handler, "There's a big difference between being a comedian and bullying. It's our job, it's what we do."

"You're absolutely right," said E! host. "I don't take anything I say seriously....Bullying is being a bully to someone who's defenseless, a poor little person who's done nothing wrong, not the people who are a--holes." Watch the interview excerpt here: