EXCLUSIVE: Jim Carrey on Kathy Griffin Controversy: Comedians Are 'Last Line of Defense' Against Trump

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Jim Carrey
has some very strong opinions about whether comedians should speak up about American politics -- and he's sharing a provocative "dream" he had about President Trump with ET.


The comedy icon
spoke with ET at the premiere of the new Showtime comedy I'm Dying Up Here, where he addressed the controversy surrounding Kathy Griffin's recent photo shoot in which she held a facsimile of President Donald Trump's severed head.

"I think it is the job of a comedian to cross the line at all times -- because that line is not real," Carrey, 55, explained matter-of-factly to ET's Leanne Aguilera on Wednesday night, just hours after Griffin was fired by CNN.


WATCH: Kathy Griffin Apologizes For Controversial Donald Trump Photo: 'I Went Too Far'

"If you step out into that spotlight and you're doing the crazy things that [Trump is] doing," Carrey continued, "we're the last line of defense. And really, the comedians are the last voice of truth in this whole thing. It's impossible to get away from it."

The Golden Globe winner went on relate a dream he claimed he had recently. "I had a dream the other night I was playing golf with Donald Trump," he recalled. "I was standing beside him with a club in my hand, and I was considering my options when I suddenly woke up."

"It was one of those dreams where you just want to get back to sleep so you can finish it, you know?" Carrey added.


WATCH: CNN Fires Kathy Griffin as New Year's Eve Co-Host After Controversial Donald Trump Photo

Griffin faced immediate backlash for her role in the photo shoot and issued a lengthy apology video hours after the pictures were released, where she admitted that she felt she'd "crossed the line."

"I sincerely apologize," Griffin said. "I'm just now seeing the reaction to these images. I'm a comic. I crossed the line. I moved the line, then I crossed it. I went way too far."

The blowback was immediate, and the 56-year-old comedian was subsequently let go by CNN, where she routinely hosted their New Year's Eve special, alongside Anderson Cooper, for the last 10 years.


Cooper also issued a stern rebuke
of the comedian on Twitter, writing,"For the record, I am appalled by the photo shoot Kathy Griffin took part in. It is clearly disgusting and completely inappropriate."


NEWS: Anderson Cooper 'Appalled' by Kathy Griffin's 'Disgusting' Donald Trump Photo, Melania Trump Also Responds

For more on Griffin's controversial photo shoot and the subsequent fallout she's faced, watch the video below.


I'm Dying Up Here
, which Carrey executive produced, premieres June 4 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Showtime.