Kathy Griffin slams Elisabeth Hasselbeck: Lighten up or suck it!

Griffin called them "prostitutes" on a segment of her Bravo series, "Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List" when talking to CNN reporters. Well, Elisabeth ranted and raved about how rude that was, calling Griffin "scum" on "The View" this week.

Them's fighting words! And now Griffin -- naturally -- is firing back.

The Hollywood Gossip reports Griffin's smack down: "You have to remember that the genesis of that whole joke about Scott Brown was that when he won the election he famously said, 'My two daughters are available.' Then he was called a 'pimp' in the Washington press... The bottom line is, lighten up!"

"[Or] suck it! As the great Bette Midler said, 'F**k 'em if they can't take a joke.'"

Whose side are you on? Hasselbeck or comedian Griffin?