Kathleen Mary "Kathy" Griffin (born November 4, 1960) is an American actress, stand-up comedienne, television personality,
New York Times best-selling author and an
LGBTLGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
rights advocate. Griffin first gained recognition for appearances on two episodes of
SeinfeldSeinfeld is an American television sitcom that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, lasting nine seasons, and is now in syndication. It was created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, the latter starring as a fictionalized version of himself...
, and then for her supporting role on the
NBCThe National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
sitcom
Suddenly SusanSuddenly Susan is an American sitcom that was broadcast on NBC from 1996 to 2000. The show takes place at The Gate, a fictitious magazine which is based in San Francisco. Among the magazine's employees is Susan Keane , who always has been cared for by someone else...
. She was the star of the Bravo reality show
Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-ListKathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List is a reality show starring Kathy Griffin. The series aired on Bravo. It debuted in August 2005, and was cancelled in November 2010....
, for which she won two Emmy Awards as executive producer. She has also worked as a voice artist and
red carpetA red carpet is traditionally used to mark the route taken by heads of state on ceremonial and formal occasions, and has in recent decades been extended to use by VIPs and celebrities at formal events.- History :...
commentator, in addition to several other career pursuits. In 2009, 2010 and 2011 she was nominated for a
Grammy AwardA Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
for
Best Comedy AlbumThe Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album was awarded from yearly 1959 to 1993 and then from 2004 to present day. There have been several minor changes to the name of the award over this time:*From 1959 to 1967 it was Best Comedy Performance...
. In her bid to win a
Tony AwardThe Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
, she made her Broadway debut in
Kathy Griffin Wants a Tony in March 2011.
Early life
Kathleen Mary Griffin was born in
Oak Park, IllinoisOak Park, Illinois is a suburb bordering the west side of the city of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is the twenty-fifth largest municipality in Illinois. Oak Park has easy access to downtown Chicago due to public transportation such as the Chicago 'L' Blue and Green lines,...
on November 4, 1960. Her mother, Mary Margaret "Maggie" (née Corbally), and her father, John Patrick Griffin, were first-generation
Irish AmericanIrish Americans are citizens of the United States who can trace their ancestry to Ireland. A total of 36,278,332 Americans—estimated at 11.9% of the total population—reported Irish ancestry in the 2008 American Community Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau...
s. Maggie worked as a cashier in the Oak Park Hospital. The last of five children, her siblings are Kenny, Joyce, Gary, and John. Griffin described herself during her early years as "a kid who needed to talk. All the time." She would often visit her neighbors, the Bowens, to tell them stories about her family; she has referred to these visits as her first live shows and the place where she learned "the power of juicy material". When most of her siblings moved, Griffin often spent hours alone in the house, and she developed a
binge eating disorderBinge eating disorder is the most common eating disorder in the United States affecting 3.5% of females and 2% of males and is prevalent in up to 30% of those seeking weight loss treatment...
. She explained that even though eating disorders were not very well known at that time, she knew that her eating behavior was aberrant and always threw the garbage away in the neighbor's can. In her 2009 autobiography
Official Book Club Selection, Griffin confessed that she "still suffers [from food issues]" but has learned to "deal with them".
As a young girl Griffin attended St. Bernadine's Elementary School, and began to develop a dislike for organized religion due to the punishments of the nuns towards her and other "vulnerable" students. After graduation, she attended Oak Park River Forest High School and sought refuge in musical theatre, playing roles such as Rosemary on
How to Succeed in Business Without Really TryingHow to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying is a musical with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Abe Burrows, Jack Weinstock, and Willie Gilbert, based on Shepherd Mead's 1952 book of the same name....
and Hodel in
Fiddler on the RoofFiddler on the Roof is a musical with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and book by Joseph Stein, set in Tsarist Russia in 1905. It is based on Tevye and his Daughters by Sholem Aleichem...
. During her senior year she began arguing with her parents, who wanted her to attend college, because she wanted to become a professional actress. Her first appearance on television was as an extra on a
Chicago White SoxThe Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
commercial, and she was signed with different Chicago talent agencies. At age eighteen, Griffin convinced her parents to move to Los Angeles to help her become famous.
At age nineteen, Griffin attended a show of the California-based improvisational group
The GroundlingsThe Groundlings are an improvisational comedy troupe based in Los Angeles, California. The troupe was formed by Gary Austin in 1974 and uses an improv format influenced by Viola Spolin to produce sketches and improvised scenes...
. She said, "I thought.
This is where I want to be. This is the greatest thing in the world." After the show ended, she went backstage and asked member
Phil HartmanPhilip Edward "Phil" Hartman was a Canadian-American actor, comedian, screenwriter, and graphic artist. Born in Brantford, Ontario, Hartman and his family moved to the United States when he was 10...
about it. She went on to perform with the group in a variety of independently produced shows such as
Margot ThatcherHook is a 1991 American fantasy film directed by Steven Spielberg. The film stars Robin Williams, Dustin Hoffman, Julia Roberts, Bob Hoskins, and features Maggie Smith, Caroline Goodall, Charlie Korsmo, Amber Scott, and Dante Basco. Hook acts as a sequel to Peter Pan's original adventures, focusing...
's classic, "Thwart These Warts" and rapper Sisqo's original R & B opera,"Ride My Silver Dragon: Over The Naked Moon".
Stand-up comedy, TV, and film
Griffin began performing in the early 1980s in the Los Angeles improv comedy troupe
The GroundlingsThe Groundlings are an improvisational comedy troupe based in Los Angeles, California. The troupe was formed by Gary Austin in 1974 and uses an improv format influenced by Viola Spolin to produce sketches and improvised scenes...
. In an
E! True Hollywood StoryE! True Hollywood Story is an American documentary series on E! that deals with famous Hollywood celebrities, movies, TV shows and well-known public figures...
segment, she stated that she often went to see the Groundlings perform before she joined. She said that, at one show, she went backstage and talked with Groundling member
Phil HartmanPhilip Edward "Phil" Hartman was a Canadian-American actor, comedian, screenwriter, and graphic artist. Born in Brantford, Ontario, Hartman and his family moved to the United States when he was 10...
and asked him what the group was all about. Struggling to make it in the Los Angeles acting scene, she joined the troupe after a failed audition for the lead role in the film version of
Harriet the SpyHarriet the Spy is a 1996 comedy-drama and mystery film adaptation of the 1964 novel of the same name by Louise Fitzhugh, and starring Michelle Trachtenberg as the title character....
. This led to her taking classes there and eventually being asked into the Main Company. When she attended The Groundlings, she became best friends with the late
Judy TollJudy Toll was an American comedian, writer, and actress.- Career :Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Toll wrote for television programs including Sex and the City, Boy Meets World, Alright Already, and The Geena Davis Show...
, who is mentioned in Griffin's book.
She went on to perform stand-up comedy and became part of the burgeoning
alternative comedyAlternative comedy is a term that originated in the 1980s for a style of comedy that makes a conscious break with the mainstream comedic style of an era, and typically avoids relying on a standardised structure of a sequence of jokes with punch lines. Patton Oswalt defines it as "comedy where the...
scene in Los Angeles, appearing at
Un-CabaretUn-Cabaret is a Los Angeles-based alternative comedy organization that produces live, TV and multi-media projects, workshops and events.-History:...
and her own show "Hot Cup of Talk", later the title of Griffin's 1998 solo HBO special.
Griffin made an appearance in
Quentin TarantinoQuentin Jerome Tarantino is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer and actor. In the early 1990s, he began his career as an independent filmmaker with films employing nonlinear storylines and the aestheticization of violence...
's 1994 film
Pulp FictionPulp Fiction is a 1994 American crime film directed by Quentin Tarantino, who co-wrote its screenplay with Roger Avary. The film is known for its rich, eclectic dialogue, ironic mix of humor and violence, nonlinear storyline, and host of cinematic allusions and pop culture references...
, as a pedestrian coming to the aid of Marcellus Wallace (
Ving RhamesIrving Rameses "Ving" Rhames is an American actor best known for his work in Bringing Out the Dead, Pulp Fiction, Baby Boy, Don King: Only in America, and the Mission: Impossible film series.-Early life and education:...
) after he is hit by a car driven by Butch Coolidge (
Bruce WillisWalter Bruce Willis , better known as Bruce Willis, is an American actor, producer, and musician. His career began in television in the 1980s and has continued both in television and film since, including comedic, dramatic, and action roles...
).
She broke into film with the supporting role of Connie in the
horror filmHorror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
The UnbornThe Unborn is a 1991 horror film. It was directed by Rodman Flender, and is about a couple who cannot have children so they try in-vitro fertilization program, but then strange things start happening to the mother while pregnant with the child.-Plot:...
, starring Brooke Adams.
Griffin gradually amassed such TV and film credits as a role in comedian
Julie BrownJulie Ann Brown is an American actress, comedienne, screen/television writer, singer-songwriter, television director. Brown is perhaps best known for her work in the 1980s, where she often played a quintessential valley girl character...
's
Medusa: Dare to Be TruthfulMedusa: Dare to Be Truthful is an American 1992 mockumentary film starring comedienne Julie Brown as the title character, with Kathy Griffin and Donal Logue in supporting roles...
, a Showtime parody of the 1991
MadonnaMadonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
film
Truth or DareMadonna: Truth or Dare is a 1991 American documentary film chronicling the life of American singer-songwriter Madonna during her 1990 Blond Ambition World Tour...
; two appearances as the character Susan Klein, a reporter, on
NBCThe National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
's
The Fresh Prince of Bel-AirThe Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is an American television sitcom that originally aired on NBC from September 10, 1990 to May 20, 1996. The show stars Will Smith as a fictionalized version of himself, a street-smart teenager from West Philadelphia who is sent to move in with his aunt and uncle in their...
, her TV sitcom debut; fellow comic Bob Goldthwait's film
Shakes the ClownShakes the Clown is a 1992 American movie directed and written by Bobcat Goldthwait, who performs the title role. It also features Julie Brown, Blake Clark, Paul Dooley, Kathy Griffin, Florence Henderson, Tom Kenny, Adam Sandler, Scott Herriott, LaWanda Page, Jack Gallagher, and a cameo by Robin...
; as the enthusiastic leader of a fanatical car club on the
EllenEllen is a U.S. television sitcom that ran on the ABC network from March 29, 1994 to July 22, 1998, producing 109 episodes.The theme song, "So Called Friend" is by Scottish band Texas...
episode "Oh, Sweet Rapture", airing in January 1996; starring in a dual-role in a seventh season episode of
The X-FilesThe X-Files is an American science fiction television series and a part of The X-Files franchise, created by screenwriter Chris Carter. The program originally aired from to . The show was a hit for the Fox network, and its characters and slogans became popular culture touchstones in the 1990s...
, and an episode of
ABCThe American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
's divorce-attorney series
Civil WarsCivil Wars is an American legal drama that aired on ABC from November 1991 to March 1993. The series was produced by Steven Bochco, known for his work on NYPD Blue, L.A. Law, and Hill Street Blues.-Synopsis:...
, Griffin's dramatic-series debut. In addition, she appeared on
Ugly BettyUgly Betty is an American comedy-drama television series developed by Silvio Horta, which premiered on ABC on September 28, 2006, and ended on April 14, 2010. The series revolves around the character Betty Suarez and is based on Fernando Gaitán's Colombian telenovela soap opera Yo soy Betty, la fea...
as a fashion channel reporter.
After starring in an
HBO Half Hour Comedy Special, Griffin had her first consistent public exposure in 1996, when she was cast as the acerbic colleague of
Brooke ShieldsBrooke Christa Shields is an American actress and model. Some of her better-known movies include Pretty Baby and The Blue Lagoon, as well as TV shows such as Suddenly Susan, That '70s Show and Lipstick Jungle....
' title character on the NBC sitcom
Suddenly SusanSuddenly Susan is an American sitcom that was broadcast on NBC from 1996 to 2000. The show takes place at The Gate, a fictitious magazine which is based in San Francisco. Among the magazine's employees is Susan Keane , who always has been cared for by someone else...
. In 1998, Griffin starred in her first one-hour special, HBO's
Kathy Griffin: A Hot Cup of Talk. She honed a comedy and television career that poked fun at her relatively modest place in the Hollywood hierarchy in a self-deprecating manner. She frequently appears in such self-consciously tacky projects as the reality show competition
Celebrity MoleCelebrity Mole: Hawaii was the third overall season of the American version of The Mole and aired from January 8 to February 12, 2003. It was filmed on the Big Island of Hawaii in October 2002...
Hawaii, in which she won the 2003 edition after undergoing such experiences as walking over hot
lavaLava refers both to molten rock expelled by a volcano during an eruption and the resulting rock after solidification and cooling. This molten rock is formed in the interior of some planets, including Earth, and some of their satellites. When first erupted from a volcanic vent, lava is a liquid at...
with her bare feet. She identifies her victory as the moment she became a "D-list" celebrity.
Griffin also has a secondary career in
voiceoverVoiceOver is a screen reader built into Apple Inc.'s Mac OS X, iOS and iPod operating systems. By using VoiceOver, the user can access their Macintosh or iOS device based on spoken descriptions and, in the case of the Mac, the keyboard. The feature is designed to increase accessibility for blind...
work and has been featured on a variety of projects such as the animated series
DilbertDilbert is an animated television series spin-off of the comic strip of the same name, produced by Adelaide Productions, Idbox, and United Media and distributed by Columbia TriStar Television...
and
Spider-Man: The New Animated SeriesSpider-Man: The New Animated Series is an animated series featuring the Marvel comic book superhero Spider-Man, which ran for one season, 13 episodes, starting on July 11, 2003...
.
Griffin's TV production company is called Inappropriate Laughter, a reference to her sometimes shocking form of humor.
In 2000, she appeared in
EminemMarshall Bruce Mathers III , better known by his stage name Eminem or his alter ego Slim Shady, is an American rapper, record producer, songwriter and actor. Eminem's popularity brought his group project, D12, to mainstream recognition...
's "
The Real Slim Shady"The Real Slim Shady" is a hip hop song written by Eminem for his third studio album The Marshall Mathers LP . It was released as the lead single a week before the album's release...
" music video as a nurse.
On June 12, 2008, Griffin hosted the first ever Bravo! A-List Awards. Included in the show was a scene where Griffin mimicked a "
wardrobe malfunctionA wardrobe malfunction is a euphemism for accidental exposure of intimate parts. It is different from flashing, as the latter implies a deliberate exposure...
" (referring to the infamous
Janet JacksonJanet Damita Jo Jackson is an American recording artist and actress. Known for a series of sonically innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows, television and film roles, she has been a prominent figure in popular culture for over 25 years...
Super Bowl halftime show controversySuper Bowl XXXVIII, which was broadcast live on February 1, 2004 from Houston, Texas on the CBS television network in the United States, was noted for a controversial halftime show in which Janet Jackson's breast, adorned with a nipple shield, was exposed by Justin Timberlake for about half a...
in 2004). She also hosted the 2009 Bravo A-List Awards, which aired on April 15, 2009 and her Bravo special
Kathy Griffin: She'll Cut a Bitch, taped on March 4, 2009 in
Portland, OregonPortland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, aired beforehand.
Shout! FactoryShout! Factory is an entertainment company founded in 2003 that was started by Richard Foos , Bob Emmer and Garson Foos initially as a specialty music label...
released an extended version of the show on DVD in early 2010.
On September 8, 2009,
Ballantine BooksBallantine Books is a major book publisher located in the United States, founded in 1952 by Ian Ballantine with his wife, Betty Ballantine. It was acquired by Random House in 1973, which in turn was acquired by Bertelsmann AG in 1998 and remains part of that company today. Ballantine's logo is a...
published Griffin's memoir, titled
Official Book Club Selection: A Memoir According to Kathy Griffin. The book debuted at #1 on the
New York Times Bestseller List. A week prior, she released her second comedy album,
Suckin' It for the HolidaysSuckin' It for the Holidays is a Grammy-nominated comedy album recorded live in New Jersey by American stand-up comedian Kathy Griffin. It was released solely online shortly before the Grammy nominations cut-off, in her second attempt to win the award...
. It is the comedian's second bid to win a
Grammy AwardA Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
.
It was announced on November 3, 2009, that Griffin was to host ABC's new show
Let's Dance, which was supposed to premiere immediately after the finale of
Dancing with the StarsDancing with the Stars is the name of several international television series based on the format of the British TV series Strictly Come Dancing, which is distributed by BBC Worldwide – the commercial arm of the BBC. Currently the format has been licensed to over 35 countries...
on November 23. On the show, celebrity contestants would have re-enacted famous routines from past music videos, movies, and musicals, while competing for a $250,000 grand prize for their favorite charity. However, the show never aired.
Griffin hosted
CNNCable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
's New Year's Eve Broadcast on December 31, 2009, along with
Anderson CooperAnderson Hays Cooper is an American journalist, author, and television personality. He is the primary anchor of the CNN news show Anderson Cooper 360°. The program is normally broadcast live from a New York City studio; however, Cooper often broadcasts live on location for breaking news stories...
. As Cooper talked about the Balloon boy hoax, Griffin said the word "fucking" while making fun of the pronunciation of Falcon Heene, the six-year-old boy who was said to have been trapped in the balloon. Although Griffin was rumored to be banned from future CNN broadcasts, she co-hosted the show again with Cooper, on December 31, 2010.
Griffin has also guest-starred in an episode of
Law & Order: Special Victims UnitLaw & Order: Special Victims Unit is an American police procedural television drama series set in New York City, where it is also primarily produced...
, playing a lesbian activist.
Since the 2008 presidential election Griffin has made frequent jokes about the Palin family. Shots at
Sarah PalinSarah Louise Palin is an American politician, commentator and author. As the Republican Party nominee for Vice President in the 2008 presidential election, she was the first Alaskan on the national ticket of a major party and first Republican woman nominated for the vice-presidency.She was...
, her husband
Todd PalinTodd Mitchell Palin is the husband of former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, the 2008 vice-presidential nominee of the Republican Party. He is an American oil field production operator, commercial fisherman and champion snowmobile racer, winning the Tesoro Iron Dog race four times.-Early life:Palin...
, and their eldest daughter
Bristol PalinBristol Sheeran Marie Palin is the second child and oldest daughter of former Governor of Alaska Sarah Palin and her husband, Todd....
have garnered cheers but also booes. Griffin parodied Palin in
GleeGlee is an American musical comedy-drama television series that airs on Fox in the United States, and on GlobalTV in Canada. It focuses on the high school glee club New Directions competing on the show choir competition circuit, while its members deal with relationships, sexuality and social issues...
, wearing a red power-suit and wide-rimmed glasses, posing as a judge at the regionals singing competition. Griffin also poked fun at
Christine O'DonnellChristine Therese O'Donnell is an American Republican Party politician who founded two advocacy organizations. She has been an advocate for nonprofit clients and nonprofit causes for nearly 20 years. A Tea Party favorite, and with strong financial support from the Tea Party movement, she defeated...
in the show by stating "Before we start, I would like to say I am not a witch."
On March 15, 2011, Griffin had a guest starring role on
GleeGlee is an American musical comedy-drama television series that airs on Fox in the United States, and on GlobalTV in Canada. It focuses on the high school glee club New Directions competing on the show choir competition circuit, while its members deal with relationships, sexuality and social issues...
in the episode "
Original Song"Original Song" is the sixteenth episode of the second season of the American television series Glee, and the 38th episode overall. It was written by Ryan Murphy, directed by Bradley Buecker, and premiered on Fox in the United States on March 15, 2011...
" as a Regionals competition judge, "
TwitterTwitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
er and former
Tea PartyThe Tea Party movement is an American populist political movement that is generally recognized as conservative and libertarian, and has sponsored protests and supported political candidates since 2009...
candidate" Tammy Jean Albertson. Her character complained about a duet of
Hey MondayHey Monday is an American rock band from West Palm Beach, Florida, formed in 2008. They released their debut album Hold on Tight in 2008 which produced notable singles "Homecoming" and "How You Love Me Now". The album was followed up with their 2010 EP Beneath It All, which achieved moderate...
's "
Candles-Reception:The Sound Alarm gave the EP a 6.5 out of 10 stating "While I am not thrilled with this new EP, I do like the overall new sound of Hey Monday and look forward to hearing a more formal release from this band in the future."...
" between two young men,
Kurt HummelKurt Hummel is a fictional character and one of the male leads in the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. Series creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan initially conceived of him as a fashionable gay countertenor who is routinely bullied at school...
and
Blaine AndersonBlaine Anderson is a fictional character from the American musical comedy-drama television series Glee. Played by Darren Criss, Blaine was introduced in the sixth episode of the second season as the openly gay lead singer of the Dalton Academy Warblers, a rival show choir to New Directions, the...
, and automatically accused their school, Dalton Academy, of being a "gay school". She also remarks that the show's primary Glee club's, New Directions, performance of "
Loser Like Me"Loser Like Me" is a song performed by the cast of American television series Glee, taken from their sixth soundtrack album, Glee: The Music, Volume 5. The song was written by the series' music producer Adam Anders, Swedish pop music producer Max Martin, and Peer Åström, Savan Kotecha, and Johan...
" was disgraceful because "when I lost the election, I didn't sing about being a loser, I twittered that
ObamaBarack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
is a terrorist"; this remark almost started an argument between her and fellow judge Sister Mary Constance (
Loretta DevineLoretta Devine is an American stage, film and television actress known for her roles on Boston Public, Grey's Anatomy, and Eli Stone. She also provided her voice for the stop motion animated television series The PJs. Devine is a NAACP Image Award and Emmy award winning actress.-Early life:Devine...
).
Guest co-host of The View
Kathy Griffin served as the unofficial guest co-host of
The View from May 2007 to September 2007, and was considered to join the panel as a replacement for the recently departed
Rosie O'DonnellRoseann "Rosie" O'Donnell is an American stand-up comedian, actress, author and television personality. She has also been a magazine editor and continues to be a celebrity blogger, LGBT rights activist, television producer and collaborative partner in the LGBT family vacation company R Family...
. However,
Whoopi GoldbergWhoopi Goldberg is an American comedian, actress, singer-songwriter, political activist, author and talk show host.Goldberg made her film debut in The Color Purple playing Celie, a mistreated black woman in the Deep South. She received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress and won...
was ultimately selected as the permanent replacement. On September 10, 2007,
Sherri ShepherdSherri Evonne Shepherd is an American comedienne, actress, and television personality. She is one of five co-hosts on the ABC daytime talkshow, The View, as well as being the current host of the Newlywed Game and having a recurring role as Angie Jordan on the NBC series 30 Rock...
took over the remaining co-host spot that had been vacant since
Star JonesStar Jones is an American lawyer, journalist, writer, and television personality. She is known for her role as a co-host of the ABC weekday morning talk show The View...
's departure. Walters stated that she was worried about hiring another loose cannon after the troubles with O'Donnell.
Griffin divulged in her stand-up that she is now banned from
The View after talking about the gig on her televised comedy special,
Kathy Griffin: Straight to Hell. While declining to discuss the ban on
Access HollywoodAccess Hollywood is a weekday television entertainment news program covering events and celebrities in the entertainment industry. It was created by former Entertainment Tonight executive producer Jim Van Messel, and is currently directed by Robert Silverstein. In previous years, Doug Dougherty and...
, during the filming of an episode for
My Life on the D-List with former
View co-host/moderator
Rosie O'DonnellRoseann "Rosie" O'Donnell is an American stand-up comedian, actress, author and television personality. She has also been a magazine editor and continues to be a celebrity blogger, LGBT rights activist, television producer and collaborative partner in the LGBT family vacation company R Family...
, Griffin did talk about the ban, specifically targeting
View executive producer
Bill GeddieWilliam Fredrick "Bill" Geddie is an American television producer. He is currently the executive producer of ABC Daytime's The View, on the ABC television network...
. Griffin has also been mentioned as a possible replacement for Walters in the event she departs the show. As of August 2009, Griffin had been un-banned from
The View and was a guest on September 18, 2009, and June 15, 2010. However, in an interview on
The Talk, Griffin has stated she has been re-banned from
The View, due to an argument with
View co-host
Elisabeth HasselbeckElisabeth Hasselbeck is an American television talk show host and television personality. She was a contestant on Survivor: The Australian Outback and is a current co-host on the daytime talk show The View .-Early life:...
.
Emmy Awards controversy
The second season, which premiered on June 6, 2006, brought Griffin the 2007
Primetime Emmy AwardThe Primetime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in American primetime television programming...
for
Outstanding Reality ProgramOutstanding Reality Program is a Primetime Emmy Award handed out annually at the Primetime Emmy telecast.-2000s:-2010s:...
, non-competition, on September 8, 2007. She received it during the Creative Arts Emmy, which was hosted by
Carlos MenciaCarlos Mencia , born Ned Arnel Mencia, is a Honduran-born American comedian, writer, and actor. His style of comedy is often political and involves issues of race, culture, criminal justice, and social class...
and aired on
E!E! Entertainment Television is an American basic cable and satellite television network, owned by NBCUniversal. It features entertainment-related programming, reality television, feature films and occasionally series and specials unrelated to the entertainment industry.E! has an audience reach of...
on September 15. Griffin stirred up controversy with her acceptance speech, saying,
Griffin later explained that she meant this remark not as a slight on Jesus, but rather as a
satireSatire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
of celebrities who thank Jesus profusely and nonsensically for their awards, especially artists who themselves are controversial in their speech and actions.
Her remarks were quickly condemned by the
Catholic LeagueThe Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, often shortened to the Catholic League, is an American Catholic anti-defamation and civil rights organization...
which urged the academy to "denounce Griffin's obscene and
blasphemousBlasphemy is irreverence towards religious or holy persons or things. Some countries have laws to punish blasphemy, while others have laws to give recourse to those who are offended by blasphemy...
comment." The Academy said that her "offensive remarks will not be part of the E! telecast on Saturday night". Griffin later responded, "Am I the only Catholic left with a sense of humor?" Fox News commentator
Bill O'ReillyWilliam James "Bill" O'Reilly, Jr. is an American television host, author, syndicated columnist and political commentator. He is the host of the political commentary program The O'Reilly Factor on the Fox News Channel, which is the most watched cable news television program on American television...
called Griffin a "pinhead" for her remark, which Griffin considered a "badge of honor."
Style of humor
Griffin developed her love for
popular culturePopular culture is the totality of ideas, perspectives, attitudes, memes, images and other phenomena that are deemed preferred per an informal consensus within the mainstream of a given culture, especially Western culture of the early to mid 20th century and the emerging global mainstream of the...
through her immediate and extended family, who were always commenting about the latest news. She explained that "I may have been into
The Brady BunchThe Brady Bunch is an American sitcom created by Sherwood Schwartz and starring Robert Reed, Florence Henderson, and Ann B. Davis. The series revolved around a large blended family...
like every other kid, but I also wanted to watch
John LennonJohn Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
and
Yoko Onois a Japanese artist, musician, author and peace activist, known for her work in avant-garde art, music and filmmaking as well as her marriage to John Lennon...
on
The Dick Cavett ShowThe Dick Cavett Show has been the title of several talk shows hosted by Dick Cavett on various television networks, including:* ABC daytime ...
, and every minute of the
Watergate hearingsThe Senate Watergate Committee was a special committee convened by the United States Senate to investigate the Watergate burglaries and the ensuing Watergate scandal after it was learned that the Watergate burglars had been directed to break into and wiretap the headquarters of the Democratic...
. It was
fear of the dinner table that got me hooked." She has also named her mother Maggie as influential in her consumption of pop culture, calling her "the ideal audience for the Hollywood dish." Griffin has also named the character of
Rhoda MorgensternRhoda Morgenstern, portrayed by Valerie Harper, is a character on the television sitcom The Mary Tyler Moore Show and subsequent spin-off Rhoda.-The Mary Tyler Moore Show:...
of 1970s sitcom
The Mary Tyler Moore ShowThe Mary Tyler Moore Show is an American television sitcom created by James L. Brooks and Allan Burns that aired on CBS from 1970 to 1977...
as an influence, saying,
"...[The Mary Tyler Moore Show] gave me the first inkling of what place I could have in the entertainment world. [...] But when Rhoda burst through the door in her Gypsy headscarf, billowy caftan, and hilariously abrasive delivery, I was like, 'Who is that? Oh my God!' That’s when I fell in love with wanting to be the sidekickA sidekick is a close companion who is generally regarded as subordinate to the one he accompanies. Some well-known fictional sidekicks are Don Quixote's Sancho Panza, Sherlock Holmes' Doctor Watson, The Lone Ranger's Tonto, The Green Hornet's Kato and Batman's Robin.-Origins:The origin of the...
. Everything out of her mouth was hysterical, yet she was vulnerable and
human. I remember my family fell in love with her, too. That’s who I wanted to be. She had all the jokes."
While Griffin established her career with candid observations about everyday life and her dating experiences, later focusing on mainly mocking celebrities, her act currently consists of recounting embellished stories involving celebrities. Though her humor may be wicked, Griffin hopes people understand that no malice is intended by it. "I'm genuinely a fan of most of the people I trash in the act," said Griffin in an interview. "I really, really try and focus on making fun of people for their behavior. I'm not so into making fun of someone for the way they look, or something that's out of their control." Her favorite celebrity topics are
plastic surgeryPlastic surgery is a medical specialty concerned with the correction or restoration of form and function. Though cosmetic or aesthetic surgery is the best-known kind of plastic surgery, most plastic surgery is not cosmetic: plastic surgery includes many types of reconstructive surgery, hand...
,
ScientologyScientology is a body of beliefs and related practices created by science fiction and fantasy author L. Ron Hubbard , starting in 1952, as a successor to his earlier self-help system, Dianetics...
, drunkenness,
substance abuseA substance-related disorder is an umbrella term used to describe several different conditions associated with several different substances .A substance related disorder is a condition in which an individual uses or abuses a...
, snooty attitudes,
eating disorderEating disorders refer to a group of conditions defined by abnormal eating habits that may involve either insufficient or excessive food intake to the detriment of an individual's physical and mental health. Bulimia nervosa, anorexia nervosa, and binge eating disorder are the most common specific...
s, and stars whose
sexual orientationSexual orientation describes a pattern of emotional, romantic, or sexual attractions to the opposite sex, the same sex, both, or neither, and the genders that accompany them. By the convention of organized researchers, these attractions are subsumed under heterosexuality, homosexuality,...
is disputed. Among Griffin's staples are
Paris HiltonParis Whitney Hilton is an American businesswoman, heiress, and socialite. She is a great-granddaughter of Conrad Hilton . Hilton is known for her controversial participation in a sex tape in 2003, and appearance on the television series The Simple Life alongside fellow socialite and childhood...
,
Clay AikenClayton Holmes "Clay" Aiken is an American singer, songwriter, actor, producer and author who began his rise to fame on the second season of the television program American Idol in 2003. RCA Records offered him a recording contract, and his multi-platinum debut album Measure of a Man was released...
,
Barbara WaltersBarbara Jill Walters is an American broadcast journalist, author, and television personality. She has hosted morning television shows , the television newsmagazine , former co-anchor of the ABC Evening News, and current contributor to ABC News.Walters was first known as a popular TV morning news...
,
Whitney HoustonWhitney Elizabeth Houston is an American singer, actress, producer and a former model. Houston is the most awarded female act of all time, according to Guinness World Records, and her list of awards include 1 Emmy Award, 6 Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards, among...
,
Larry DavidLawrence Gene "Larry" David is an American actor, writer, comedian and producer. He is best known as the co-creator , head writer, and executive producer of the television series Seinfeld from 1989 to 1996, and for creating the 1999 HBO series Curb Your Enthusiasm, a partially improvised sitcom in...
,
Celine DionCéline Marie Claudette Dion, , , is a Canadian singer. Born to a large family from Charlemagne, Quebec, Dion emerged as a teen star in the French-speaking world after her manager and future husband René Angélil mortgaged his home to finance her first record...
,
Gwyneth PaltrowGwyneth Kate Paltrow is an American actress and singer. She made her acting debut on stage in 1990 and started appearing in films in 1991. After appearing in several films throughout the decade, Paltrow gained early notice for her work in films such as Se7en and Emma...
,
Jerry SeinfeldJerome Allen "Jerry" Seinfeld is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and television and film producer, known for playing a semi-fictional version of himself in the situation comedy Seinfeld , which he co-created and co-wrote with Larry David, and, in the show's final two seasons,...
,
Star JonesStar Jones is an American lawyer, journalist, writer, and television personality. She is known for her role as a co-host of the ABC weekday morning talk show The View...
,
Paula AbdulPaula Julie Abdul is an American singer-songwriter, dancer, choreographer, actress and television personality.In the 1980s, Abdul rose from cheerleader for the Los Angeles Lakers to highly sought-after choreographer at the height of the music video era before scoring a string of pop music-R&B hits...
,
Sharon StoneSharon Vonne Stone is an American actress, film producer, and former fashion model. She achieved international recognition for her role in the erotic thriller Basic Instinct...
,
Oprah WinfreyOprah Winfrey is an American media proprietor, talk show host, actress, producer and philanthropist. Winfrey is best known for her self-titled, multi-award-winning talk show, which has become the highest-rated program of its kind in history and was nationally syndicated from 1986 to 2011...
,
Britney SpearsBritney Jean Spears is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album...
,
Ryan SeacrestRyan John Seacrest is an American radio personality, television host, network producer and voice actor. He is the host of On Air with Ryan Seacrest, a nationally syndicated Top 40 radio show that airs on KIIS-FM in Los Angeles and throughout the United States and Canada on Premiere Radio Networks,...
,
Lindsay LohanLindsay Lohan is an American actress, pop singer and model. She began her career as a child fashion model before making her motion picture debut in Disney's 1998 remake of The Parent Trap at the age of 11...
,
MileyMiley Ray Cyrus is an American actress and pop singer-songwriter. She achieved wide fame for her role as Miley Stewart/Hannah Montana on the Disney Channel sitcom Hannah Montana....
and
Billy Ray CyrusWilliam "Billy" Ray Cyrus is an American country music singer, songwriter, actor and philanthropist, who helped make country music a worldwide phenomenon...
, Bravo's
Real HousewivesThe Real Housewives... is a reality series which airs in the United States on the cable network Bravo, and various other broadcasters internationally...
,
Kirstie AlleyKirstie Louise Alley is an American actress known for her role in the TV show Cheers, in which she played Rebecca Howe from 1987–1993, winning an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award as the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series in 1991...
,
Sarah PalinSarah Louise Palin is an American politician, commentator and author. As the Republican Party nominee for Vice President in the 2008 presidential election, she was the first Alaskan on the national ticket of a major party and first Republican woman nominated for the vice-presidency.She was...
,
Michele BachmannMichele Marie Bachmann is a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives, representing , a post she has held since 2007. The district includes several of the northern suburbs of the Twin Cities, such as Woodbury, and Blaine as well as Stillwater and St. Cloud.She is currently a...
,
Elisabeth HasselbeckElisabeth Hasselbeck is an American television talk show host and television personality. She was a contestant on Survivor: The Australian Outback and is a current co-host on the daytime talk show The View .-Early life:...
,
Uma ThurmanUma Karuna Thurman is an American actress and model. She has performed in leading roles in a variety of films, ranging from romantic comedies and dramas to science fiction and action movies. Among her best-known roles are those in the Quentin Tarantino films Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill...
and
Renée ZellwegerRenée Kathleen Zellweger is an American actress and producer. Zellweger first gained widespread attention for her role in the film Jerry Maguire , and subsequently received two nominations for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her roles as Bridget Jones in the comedy Bridget Jones's Diary ...
.
Griffin is sometimes the object of her own humor, particularly with regard to her D-list status. While Griffin paints herself as a Hollywood outsider, she has a group of close celebrity friends such as
Rosie O'DonnellRoseann "Rosie" O'Donnell is an American stand-up comedian, actress, author and television personality. She has also been a magazine editor and continues to be a celebrity blogger, LGBT rights activist, television producer and collaborative partner in the LGBT family vacation company R Family...
,
Joan RiversJoan Rivers is an American comedian, television personality and actress. She is known for her brash manner; her loud, raspy voice with a heavy New York accent; and her numerous cosmetic surgeries...
,
Jerry SeinfeldJerome Allen "Jerry" Seinfeld is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and television and film producer, known for playing a semi-fictional version of himself in the situation comedy Seinfeld , which he co-created and co-wrote with Larry David, and, in the show's final two seasons,...
,
Gloria EstefanGloria María Milagrosa Fajardo García de Estefan; known professionally as Gloria Estefan is a Cuban-born American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known as the "Queen Of Latin Pop", she is in the top 100 best selling music artists with over 100 million albums sold worldwide, 31.5 million of those...
,
Whoopi GoldbergWhoopi Goldberg is an American comedian, actress, singer-songwriter, political activist, author and talk show host.Goldberg made her film debut in The Color Purple playing Celie, a mistreated black woman in the Deep South. She received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress and won...
,
Jennifer CoolidgeJennifer Coolidge is an American actress best known for playing "Stifler's mom," the older woman in the film American Pie ; Hilary Duff's stepmother in A Cinderella Story ; Paulette, the manicurist in Legally Blonde and its sequel; the voice of Aunt Fanny in the animated feature Robots ; for her...
,
Rachel TrueRachel India True is an American film and television actress.-Career:In 1991, True had some appearances , beginning a string of TV jobs, including turns on Beverly Hills, 90210, The Drew Carey Show, Once and Again, and HBO's Dream On. By 1993, she had moved to Los Angeles and appeared opposite...
,
Larry DavidLawrence Gene "Larry" David is an American actor, writer, comedian and producer. He is best known as the co-creator , head writer, and executive producer of the television series Seinfeld from 1989 to 1996, and for creating the 1999 HBO series Curb Your Enthusiasm, a partially improvised sitcom in...
,
Ricky GervaisRicky Dene Gervais is an English comedian, actor, director, radio presenter, producer, musician, and writer.Gervais achieved mainstream fame with his television series The Office and the subsequent series Extras, both of which he co-wrote and co-directed with friend and frequent collaborator...
,
Anderson CooperAnderson Hays Cooper is an American journalist, author, and television personality. He is the primary anchor of the CNN news show Anderson Cooper 360°. The program is normally broadcast live from a New York City studio; however, Cooper often broadcasts live on location for breaking news stories...
,
CherCher is an American recording artist, television personality, actress, director, record producer and philanthropist. Referred to as the Goddess of Pop, she has won an Academy Award, a Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, three Golden Globes and a Cannes Film Festival Award among others for her work in...
and
Lance BassJames Lance Bass , best known as Lance Bass, is an American pop singer, dancer, actor, film and television producer, and author. He grew up in Mississippi and rose to fame as the bass singer for the American pop boy band 'N Sync. 'N Sync's success led Bass to work in film and television...
. Griffin's longtime friendship with Bass was the catalyst for a feud between her and gossip blogger
Perez HiltonMario Armando Lavandeira, Jr. , better known as Perez Hilton , is an American blogger and television personality. His blog, Perezhilton.com , is known for posts covering gossip items about celebrities...
, in which Griffin expressed anger over Hilton's "
outingOuting is the act of disclosing a gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender person's true sexual orientation or gender identity without that person's consent. Outing gives rise to issues of privacy, choice, hypocrisy, and harm in addition to sparking debate on what constitutes common good in efforts...
" of Bass on his website, calling Hilton's attacks on Bass "mean" and "unfunny". Hilton responded by saying that Griffin's anger was hypocritical, considering all of the gay jokes she makes about Clay Aiken in her stand-up routines. In 2007, Griffin commented on her aversion to making fun of celebrity friends by saying, "There's nothing I won't do, but on the other hand I'm full of shit because that changes. For example, you know Lance Bass from
'N SyncN Sync was an American boy band formed in Orlando, Florida, in 1995 and launched in Germany by BMG Ariola Munich, *NSYNC consisted of JC Chasez, Justin Timberlake, Lance Bass, Joey Fatone and Chris Kirkpatrick...
and how he's gay now? All those years that I knew he was gay, he and I were friends, I would never say, 'Hey, by the way, did you know that Lance Bass is gay?'" Griffin and Hilton ended their feud after the death of Griffin's father, and Hilton appeared on an episode of her show in 2007. Yet in July 2008, he asserted that Griffin's assistant Jessica Zajicek had quit because she could not take Griffin's now hectic career. Griffin dismissed these statements as false as Zajicek is still working for Griffin. However, the season premier of The D-List depicted that Zajicek was no longer working for Griffin; Griffin explained early in the episode that Zajicek "has decided to move on".
Her style has led to a number of controversies. Although some talk show hosts welcome her humor on their programs such as
Craig KilbornCraig Kilborn is an American actor and talk show host. He was the original host of The Daily Show, a former anchor on ESPN's SportsCenter, and Tom Snyder's successor on CBS' The Late Late Show. On June 28, 2010, he launched The Kilborn File after a six-year absence from television...
,
Bill MaherWilliam "Bill" Maher, Jr. is an American stand-up comedian, television host, political commentator, author and actor. Before his current role as the host of HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher, Maher hosted a similar late-night talk show called Politically Incorrect originally on Comedy Central and...
and
Howard SternHoward Allan Stern is an American radio personality, television host, author, and actor best known for his radio show, which was nationally syndicated from 1986 to 2005. He gained wide recognition in the 1990s where he was labeled a "shock jock" for his outspoken and sometimes controversial style...
(who she credits with giving her a "straight fanbase"), Griffin has claimed to be banned from appearing on several TV shows including
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and
The View. She recently got rebanned from
The View because of a joke she made about Barbara Walters. She says
Ellens producers told her they cannot have her on "trashing celebrities," but she appeared as a guest on
The Ellen DeGeneres Show on September 11, 2007. One of the most notable controversies occurred when she made a joke during a 2005 E! televised event that the child actress
Dakota FanningHannah Dakota Fanning , better known as Dakota Fanning, is an American actress. Fanning's breakthrough performance was in I Am Sam in 2001. As a child actress, she appeared in high-profile films such as Man on Fire, War of the Worlds, and Charlotte's Web...
, then age 11, had entered rehab. This incident got Griffin fired from hosting duties on E!'s red-carpet award show coverage. Nevertheless, E! purchased rights to air
My Life on the D-List for its British channel, a fact she noted in an episode of season 3.
In a July 2009 episode of
My Life on the D-List, after using profanity in an Octomom joke during her routine at New York's legendary
Apollo TheatreThe Apollo Theatre is a Grade II listed West End theatre, on Shaftesbury Avenue in the City of Westminster. Designed by architect Lewin Sharp for owner Henry Lowenfield, and the fourth legitimate theatre to be constructed on the street, its doors opened on 21 February 1901 with the American...
, Griffin claimed that she received a letter banning her from the venue.
Griffin has claimed to have been fired from an appearance on the show
Hannah MontanaHannah Montana is an American television series, which debuted on March 24, 2006 on the Disney Channel. The series focuses on a girl who lives a double life as an average teenage school girl named Miley Stewart by day and a famous pop singer named Hannah Montana by night, concealing her real...
, on account of her Emmy acceptance speech. According to Griffin "the instructions literally came down, 'We don't want her anywhere near the building.'" Griffin hit back in her comedy act joking that
Miley CyrusMiley Ray Cyrus is an American actress and pop singer-songwriter. She achieved wide fame for her role as Miley Stewart/Hannah Montana on the Disney Channel sitcom Hannah Montana....
"...has been flashing her green bra and posing topless."
LGBT rights and political advocacy
Griffin is an outspoken supporter for
LGBTLGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
rights, including
same-sex marriageSame-sex marriage is marriage between two persons of the same biological sex or social gender. Supporters of legal recognition for same-sex marriage typically refer to such recognition as marriage equality....
. She has protested with fellow proponents in
West Hollywood, CaliforniaWest Hollywood, a city of Los Angeles County, California, was incorporated on November 29, 1984, with a population of 34,399 at the 2010 census. 41% of the city's population is made up of gay men according to a 2002 demographic analysis by Sara Kocher Consulting for the City of West Hollywood...
, and showcased the footage of such protests on her reality show
Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List. Her mother Maggie Griffin is also a supporter of LGBT rights and is seen in
Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List protesting alongside her daughter. Prior to the
Proposition 8Proposition 8 was a ballot proposition and constitutional amendment passed in the November 2008 state elections...
ballot results, Griffin volunteered for the
Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian CenterThe Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center provides a broad array of services for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. Its clinic and on-site pharmacy offers free and low-cost health, mental health, HIV/AIDS medical care and HIV/STD testing and prevention, although there are no direct...
’s "Vote for Equality" campaign, going door-to-door asking Los Angeles residents for their opinion of LGBT marriage rights.
In March of 2010, Griffin helped organize a rally in Washington DC to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." She stated that she organized the rally after meeting with several closeted gay people serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. Griffin held meetings with several Members of Congress to encourage its repeal; she also organized a rally in Freedom Plaza.
Griffin caused controversy when she confronted Republican Congresswoman
Michele BachmannMichele Marie Bachmann is a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives, representing , a post she has held since 2007. The district includes several of the northern suburbs of the Twin Cities, such as Woodbury, and Blaine as well as Stillwater and St. Cloud.She is currently a...
over her anti-gay views at the 2010 Radio and Television Correspondents' Association Dinner, while in town for her rally against DADT. According to Griffin, she asked Bachmann "if she was naturally a bigot or if that's just the way she legislates." Griffin claimed that Bachmann replied by saying, "That's a good question, I'll have to think about it." Bachmann's office confirmed the exchange but claimed that Griffin confronted Bachmann after Bachmann approached Griffin to compliment her appearance.
Griffin has been a long-time supporter of the
Aid For AIDSAid For AIDS is a California-based nonprofit organization, founded in 1983 and dedicated to improving the lives of people affected by HIV disease.-Services:...
annual fundraiser,
Best In Drag ShowBest In Drag Show is an annual fundraising event in Los Angeles, California, benefiting the California-based non-profit, Aid For AIDS.- History :...
in Los Angeles, and hosted the opening of the show for more than five years. In November 2009, Aid For AIDS presented Kathy Griffin with an
AFA Angel Award at their silver anniversary celebration.
Griffin has been a long-time critic of
Sarah PalinSarah Louise Palin is an American politician, commentator and author. As the Republican Party nominee for Vice President in the 2008 presidential election, she was the first Alaskan on the national ticket of a major party and first Republican woman nominated for the vice-presidency.She was...
and has even made fun of Palin's daughter,
Bristol PalinBristol Sheeran Marie Palin is the second child and oldest daughter of former Governor of Alaska Sarah Palin and her husband, Todd....
, using the Palin family as material in her comedy routines. In March of 2011, Sarah Palin responded to Griffin by calling her a "bully." Palin went on to dare Griffin to "come up to Alaska and pick on me." In connection with her reality TV show, Griffin visited the Palin family home in Wasilla and invited Palin to attend her stand-up show in Anchorage. Griffin has also poked fun at Willow Palin. Although Willow Palin is a minor, Griffin stated that she poked fun at Willow as a result of her repeated anti-gay slurs and use of the word "raghead" on
FacebookFacebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
.
Personal life
Griffin describes herself as a "militant atheist". While in high school, she fell away from the Roman Catholic Church and wanted to become a
UnitarianUnitarianism is a Christian theological movement, named for its understanding of God as one person, in direct contrast to Trinitarianism which defines God as three persons coexisting consubstantially as one in being....
. Said Griffin: "I'm not really sure what that is, but it sounds better."
She is an outspoken opponent of
LASIKLASIK or Lasik , commonly referred to simply as laser eye surgery, is a type of refractive surgery for correcting myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism...
eye surgery, having endured a series of operations for her own eyesight that left her partially
blindBlindness is the condition of lacking visual perception due to physiological or neurological factors.Various scales have been developed to describe the extent of vision loss and define blindness...
in one eye with a visible eyeball deformity. She is open about her multiple
plastic surgeriesPlastic surgery is a medical specialty concerned with the correction or restoration of form and function. Though cosmetic or aesthetic surgery is the best-known kind of plastic surgery, most plastic surgery is not cosmetic: plastic surgery includes many types of reconstructive surgery, hand...
, and claims that fat "was donated to a soup kitchen" after her
liposuctionLiposuction, also known as lipoplasty , liposculpture suction lipectomy or simply lipo is a cosmetic surgery operation that removes fat from many different sites on the human body...
procedure.
Her father, John Patrick Griffin, died of heart failure on February 17, 2007 during the shooting of the third season of her reality show; he was 90 years old. The episode related to his death aired on June 19, 2007.
She placed 17th on Oxygen's 2007 list of "The 50 Funniest Women Alive".
Marriage and relationships
Griffin married Washington, D.C. native Matt Moline on February 18, 2001, atop the 360 Degree Restaurant in Hollywood. ABC News reported that she walked down the aisle to the strains of 1980s power ballad "
Sister Christian"Sister Christian" is a power ballad by the hard rock band Night Ranger, which was the second single released on their album Midnight Madness. It was ranked number 32 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of the 1980s. To this day, it is one of the most popular first dance songs at weddings.-Origin and...
" by
Night RangerNight Ranger is an American rock band from San Francisco that gained popularity during the 1980s with a series of albums and singles. The band's first five albums sold more than 10 million copies worldwide...
. Her maid of honor was
Brooke ShieldsBrooke Christa Shields is an American actress and model. Some of her better-known movies include Pretty Baby and The Blue Lagoon, as well as TV shows such as Suddenly Susan, That '70s Show and Lipstick Jungle....
; and the wedding was attended by, among others,
Camryn ManheimCamryn Manheim is an American actress known primarily for her roles as attorney Ellenor Frutt on ABC's The Practice and Delia Banks on CBS's Ghost Whisperer and as Elvis's mother, Gladys Presley in the 2005 mini-series Elvis....
,
Bill MaherWilliam "Bill" Maher, Jr. is an American stand-up comedian, television host, political commentator, author and actor. Before his current role as the host of HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher, Maher hosted a similar late-night talk show called Politically Incorrect originally on Comedy Central and...
,
James WilliamsJim Titus is a North American Film and Television Actor. Son of James T. Williams Sr. and Film & Television make-up artist Ellie Winslow. Jim has appeared in television shows including NBC's Heroes, ABC's My Wife and Kids, Nickelodeon's Taina, and CBS' Without A Trace & Judging Amy...
, and
Jane KrakowskiJane Krakowski is an American actress and singer. She is most well known for her performance of Elaine Vassal on Ally McBeal, for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award, and for her current role as Jenna Maroney on the NBC sitcom 30 Rock, for which she has been nominated for three Emmy...
.
Griffin and Moline appeared to have a loving and supportive relationship on her reality show, but there were problems beneath the surface. After briefly separating and reconciling in 2005, they divorced in May 2006. Griffin had her
tattooA tattoo is made by inserting indelible ink into the dermis layer of the skin to change the pigment. Tattoos on humans are a type of body modification, and tattoos on other animals are most commonly used for identification purposes...
ed wedding ring laser-removed after her divorce. On
Larry King LiveLarry King Live is an American talk show hosted by Larry King on CNN from 1985 to 2010. It was CNN's most watched and longest-running program, with over one million viewers nightly....
, Griffin accused her husband of stealing $72,000 from her. In a written statement, he declined to respond to the allegations publicly but stated that he was saddened by accusations.
Since July 2007, rumors had circulated that Griffin had been dating Apple co-founder
Steve WozniakStephen Gary "Woz" Wozniak is an American computer engineer and programmer who founded Apple Computer, Co. with Steve Jobs and Ronald Wayne...
. They attended the
2007 Emmy AwardsThe 59th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards were held at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California on September 16, 2007 and were televised live on Fox at 8:00 p.m. EDT for the first time in high definition...
together, and speculations arose when the two were interviewed together on the red carpet. On September 18, 2007,
Us WeeklyUs Weekly is a celebrity gossip magazine, founded in 1977 by The New York Times Company, who sold it in 1980. It was acquired by Wenner Media in 1986. The publication covers topics ranging from celebrity relationships to the latest trends in fashion, beauty, and entertainment...
reported that Griffin and Wozniak were engaged; however, neither Griffin nor Wozniak confirmed the rumor. During a January 2008 interview on
Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Griffin confirmed that Wozniak will be a regular guest on the fourth season of her reality show. On
Tom Green's House Tonight on February 6, Griffin confirmed her relationship with Wozniak. When asked if she actually targeted Wozniak to make her ex-husband jealous, Griffin stated "What better way to get back at my ex, who was a tech, than to marry the biggest techno-nerd in the Universe?" Wozniak and Griffin served as King and Queen of the Humane Society of Silicon Valley Fur Ball on April 5, 2008, in Santa Clara, California, and scenes for the fourth season of
My Life on the D-List were taped. However, as of June 2008, it was confirmed that Griffin and Wozniak are no longer dating and have decided to remain friends.
On August 9, 2009, she attended the
Teen Choice AwardsThe Teen Choice Awards, are an annual awards show that air on the Fox cable channel, that honor the year's biggest biggest achievements in music, movies, sports, television, fashion and more, voted by teen viewers aged 14 through 17. Winners receive an authentic full size surfboard designed with...
with
Levi JohnstonLevi Keith Johnston is the former fiancé of Bristol Palin. He first received media attention in August 2008 when U.S. vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin announced that her daughter Bristol was five months pregnant with Johnston's baby and that the two were engaged...
and subsequently interviewed him in her role as guest host on
Larry King LiveLarry King Live is an American talk show hosted by Larry King on CNN from 1985 to 2010. It was CNN's most watched and longest-running program, with over one million viewers nightly....
. In the interview, Griffin and Johnston joked that they were in a serious relationship.
On March 7, 2011, while appearing on the Howard Stern radio show, Griffin announced that she is currently romantically involved with actor and former NFL practice-squad player
Isaiah MustafaIsaiah Mustafa is an American actor and former NFL practice squad wide receiver. Mustafa is widely known as the main character for a series of Old Spice TV commercials, The Man Your Man Could Smell Like.-Early life:...
. Upon repeated prompts from Stern, she went on to describe their sex life in graphic detail. Since then Mustafa has announced that he is in fact single, though he admitted to finding Griffin "amazing". In the same interview, Griffin also stated that the previous July, she had ended a private romantic relationship that had lasted four years with a man whom she did not publicly identify, only saying that he was "a regular guy with a regular job", and that it was a "messy breakup".
Filmography
| Film |
| Year |
Film |
Role |
Notes |
| 1980 |
Battle Beyond the StarsBattle Beyond the Stars is a Roger Corman-produced science fiction film, directed by Jimmy T. Murakami and released in 1980. The film, intended as a "Magnificent Seven in outer space," is a pastiche of The Magnificent Seven, the Western remake of Akira Kurosawa's film Seven Samurai...
|
Alien Extra (uncredited) |
|
| Fade to Black |
Grauman's Chinese Theater Extra (uncredited) |
|
| 1984 |
Streets of FireStreets of Fire is a 1984 film directed by Walter Hill and co-written by Hill and Larry Gross. It was described in previews, trailers, and posters as "A Rock & Roll Fable." It is an unusual mix of musical, action, drama, and comedy with elements both of retro-1950s and 1980s...
|
Concertgoer (uncredited) |
|
| 1991 |
The Unborn The Unborn is a 1991 horror film. It was directed by Rodman Flender, and is about a couple who cannot have children so they try in-vitro fertilization program, but then strange things start happening to the mother while pregnant with the child.-Plot:...
|
Connie |
|
| 1992 |
Shakes the Clown Shakes the Clown is a 1992 American movie directed and written by Bobcat Goldthwait, who performs the title role. It also features Julie Brown, Blake Clark, Paul Dooley, Kathy Griffin, Florence Henderson, Tom Kenny, Adam Sandler, Scott Herriott, LaWanda Page, Jack Gallagher, and a cameo by Robin...
|
Lucy |
|
| Medusa: Dare to Be Truthful Medusa: Dare to Be Truthful is an American 1992 mockumentary film starring comedienne Julie Brown as the title character, with Kathy Griffin and Donal Logue in supporting roles...
|
Taffy |
|
| 1994 |
Pulp Fiction Pulp Fiction is a 1994 American crime film directed by Quentin Tarantino, who co-wrote its screenplay with Roger Avary. The film is known for its rich, eclectic dialogue, ironic mix of humor and violence, nonlinear storyline, and host of cinematic allusions and pop culture references...
|
Hit-and-run Witness |
|
| It's Pat It's Pat, also known as It's Pat: The Movie, is a 1994 comedy film directed by Adam Bernstein and starring Julia Sweeney, Dave Foley, Charles Rocket, and Kathy Griffin...
|
Herself |
Cameo |
| 1995 |
Big News |
|
TV film |
| Four Rooms Four Rooms is a 1995 portmanteau comedy film telling four stories set in a hotel in the US city of Los Angeles on New Year's Eve. Tim Roth stars as the principal character of the frame tale; he also takes part to some degree in all four stories....
|
Betty |
|
| The Barefoot Executive The Barefoot Executive is a live-action Disney film released by Buena Vista Distribution in 1971 starring Kurt Russell, Joe Flynn, Wally Cox, Heather North and John Ritter , about a pet chimpanzee, named Raffles, who can predict the popularity of television programs...
|
Mary |
TV film |
| 1996 |
The Cable GuyThe Cable Guy is a 1996 black comedy film, directed by Ben Stiller, and starring Jim Carrey and Matthew Broderick. The film also features Leslie Mann, Jack Black, and Owen Wilson...
|
Mother |
|
| 1997 |
Who's the Caboose? |
Katty |
|
| Trojan War Trojan War is a 1997 romantic comedy directed by George Huang. It stars Will Friedle, Jennifer Love Hewitt, and Marley Shelton.-Plot:High school student Brad has had an unrequited crush on a classmate named Brooke for years. After she asks him to come over one night to tutor her, she ends up...
|
Cashier |
|
| Courting Courtney |
Ona Miller |
|
| 1999 |
Can't Stop Dancing Can't Stop Dancing is a 1999 feature length film written and directed by Steven Falick and Ben Zook and starring Ben Zook.-Plot:Randy Rubio, a leader of a small-time dance troupe, learns that their fifteen-year run at a Kansas theme park is coming to an end...
|
Modeling Agent |
|
| Dill Scallion Dill Scallion is a 1999 feature film mockumentary that follows the rise and fall of a country-western singer, Dill Scallion . It was written and directed by Jordan Brady...
|
Tina |
|
| Muppets from Space Muppets from Space is a 1999 science fiction comedy film and the sixth feature film to star The Muppets, and the first since the death of Muppets creator Jim Henson to have an original Muppet-focused plot. The film was directed by Tim Hill, produced by Jim Henson Pictures, and released to theaters...
|
Female armed guard |
|
| Jackie's Back Jackie's Back is a 1999 television movie directed by Robert Townsend. It premiered on the Lifetime Television Network on June 14, 1999.-Plot:...
|
Herself |
TV film |
| 2000 |
Lion of Oz |
Caroline |
Voice role |
| The Intern The Intern is a 2000 comedy satire film directed by Michael Lange about the shallow world of fashion magazines. It stars Dominique Swain, Joan Rivers, Peggy Lipton and Kathy Griffin...
|
Cornelia Crisp |
|
| Enemies of Laughter |
Cindy |
|
| A Diva's Christmas Carol |
Ghost of Christmas Past The Ghost of Christmas Past is a character in the well-known work of the English novelist Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol.The Ghost of Christmas Past was the first of the three spirits that haunted the miser. Ebenezer Scrooge in order to prompt him to repent...
|
TV film |
| E |
Nurse |
"The Real Slim Shady "The Real Slim Shady" is a hip hop song written by Eminem for his third studio album The Marshall Mathers LP . It was released as the lead single a week before the album's release...
", music video collection |
| 2001 |
On Edge |
Karen Katz |
|
| 2002 |
Run Ronnie RunRun Ronnie Run is an American direct-to-video comedy film produced in 2001 and released in 2003, a spin-off from the HBO sketch comedy show Mr. Show. The recurring character Ronnie Dobbs is the focal point of the movie...
|
Herself |
|
| 2003 |
Beethoven's 5th Beethoven's 5th is the fifth installment in the Beethoven film series, all sequels to the 1992 film Beethoven. It was released in 2003. Daveigh Chase takes over the role of Sara which was originally played by Michaela Gallo in the previous two films. This was the final film of the original...
|
Evie Kling |
|
| 2005 |
Dirty Love Dirty Love is a 2005 comedy written by and starring Jenny McCarthy and directed by John Mallory Asher. At the time of filming McCarthy and Asher were married, they divorced the month the film went into wide release...
|
Madame Pelly |
|
| 2005 |
Dinotopia: Quest for the Ruby Sunstone Dinotopia: Quest for the Ruby Sunstone is a 2005 animated film directed by Davis Doi. Based on the Dinotopia series, this is the first related animated version.-Plot:...
|
Rhoga |
Voice role |
| Her Minor Thing Her Minor Thing is a 2005 motion picture. The romantic comedy is directed by Charles Matthau, written by Jim Meyers and Debra Meyers, and stars Estella Warren, Christian Kane, and Michael Weatherly.The script's working title was "Men Are Jerks"....
|
Maggie |
|
| Love Wrecked |
Belinda |
|
| 2006 |
Bachelor Party Vegas Bachelor Party Vegas is a comedy film that was released in 2006 starring Kal Penn, Jonathan Bennett, Charlie Spiller, Diora Baird and Donald Faison...
|
She-ElvisElvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
|
Uncredited cameo |
| 2007 |
Judy Toll: The Funniest Woman You've Never Heard of |
Herself |
Documentary |
| In Search of Puppy Love |
Documentary |
| Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project is a documentary about stand-up comedian Don Rickles.-Structure:The film consists of performance clips from throughout Rickles' career interspersed with recent interviews with him. A show at the Stardust Casino in Las Vegas from 2006 is featured most prominently...
|
Documentary |
| Heckler A heckler is a person who harass and try to disconcert others with questions, challenges, or gibes.Hecklers are often known to shout disparaging comments at a performance or event, or interrupts set-piece speeches, for example at a political meeting, with intent to disturb its performers or...
|
Documentary |
| 2009 |
Sammy's Adventures: The Secret Passage Sammy's Adventures: The Secret Passage is a 2010 Belgian animated film produced in English...
|
|
Voice role |
| 2010 |
Shrek Forever After Shrek Forever After, taglined as The Final Chapter, is a 2010 animated fantasy-comedy film, and the fourth and final installment in the Shrek film series, produced by DreamWorks Animation. The film was released by Paramount Pictures in cinemas on May 20, 2010 in Russia, and on May 21 in the United...
|
Taran |
| Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work is a 2010 documentary film about the life and career of comedienne Joan Rivers. It premiered at the San Francisco International Film Festival at the Castro Theatre on May 6, 2010.-Cast:* Joan Rivers* Melissa Rivers...
|
Herself |
Documentary |
| 2011 |
The Muppets The Muppets is a 2011 American musical and comedy film, and the first Muppets theatrical release in 12 years, as well as the first Disney-produced Muppets film since 1996's Muppet Treasure Island...
|
Herself |
Cameo |
| Hall Pass A hall pass is a pass or token used in American and Canadian public schools to show that a student has been authorized to be out of his/her classroom while lessons are in progress. They are commonly issued to students if they need to visit the Toilet, if they have been asked to run an errand for a...
|
Herself |
|
| Television |
| Year |
Title |
Role |
Notes |
| 1989–1991 |
On the Television On the Television was the cable network Nick at Nite’s first attempt at original late-night programming. The sketch comedy show, can be described as a satirical television critic show in the style of Siskel and Ebert. The one line pitch was "a fake Siskel and Ebert reviewing fake TV shows." It...
|
Various |
Episode: "Beauty and the Beast" |
The Fresh Prince of Bel-AirThe Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is an American television sitcom that originally aired on NBC from September 10, 1990 to May 20, 1996. The show stars Will Smith as a fictionalized version of himself, a street-smart teenager from West Philadelphia who is sent to move in with his aunt and uncle in their...
|
| 1990 |
Susan Klein |
Episode: "Not With My Pig, You Don't" |
| 1993 |
Civil Wars Civil Wars is an American legal drama that aired on ABC from November 1991 to March 1993. The series was produced by Steven Bochco, known for his work on NYPD Blue, L.A. Law, and Hill Street Blues.-Synopsis:...
|
Yvonne |
Episode: "Watt, Me Worry?" |
Dream OnDream On is an American adult-themed situation comedy about single New Yorker, Martin Tupper. The show used a gimmick where old black and white clips were used to punctuate the main character's feelings or thoughts...
|
Dawn |
Episode: "The French Conception" |
| 1995 |
ERER is an American medical drama television series created by novelist Michael Crichton that aired on NBC from September 19, 1994 to April 2, 2009. It was produced by Constant c Productions and Amblin Entertainment, in association with Warner Bros. Television...
|
Dolores Minky |
Episode: "MotherhoodThe first season of the American fictional drama television series ER aired from 1994–1995 with 25 episodes.The 2-hour pilot episode aired on September 19, 1994 and was followed by 24 other episodes, including the season finale that aired on May 18, 1995.-Plot:In ERs first season, the core cast...
" |
| Dweebs |
Sheila |
Episode: "The Birthday Party Show" |
| 1995 |
Mad About YouMad About You is an American sitcom that aired on NBC from September 23, 1992 to May 24, 1999. The show starred Paul Reiser and Helen Hunt as a newly married couple in New York City. Reiser played Paul Buchman, a documentary film maker. Hunt played Jamie Stemple Buchman, a public relations specialist...
|
Brenda |
Episode: "New Year's Eve" |
| 1996 |
Ellen Ellen is a U.S. television sitcom that ran on the ABC network from March 29, 1994 to July 22, 1998, producing 109 episodes.The theme song, "So Called Friend" is by Scottish band Texas...
|
Peggy |
Episode: "Oh, Sweet Rapture" |
| Partners Partners is an American sitcom that aired on FOX from 1995 to 1996.-Synopsis:The series centered a pair of young architects, Bob and Owen , and Owen's fiancée Alicia . Much of the show's humor derived from Bob's lack of success with women and his competition with Alicia for Owen's attention...
|
Michelle |
Episode: "Can We Keep Her, Dad?" |
Caroline in the CityCaroline in the City is an American situation comedy that ran from September 21, 1995 to April 26, 1999 on the NBC television network. It starred Lea Thompson as cartoonist Caroline Duffy. The series premiered in the two-hour Thursday night block led by Friends.-Premise:Caroline Duffy is a...
|
DMV clerk |
Episode: "Caroline and the Movie" |
| Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist is an American animated series that originally ran on Comedy Central from May 28, 1995 to December 24, 1999,–with a final set of three shelved episodes airing in 2002–starring Jonathan Katz, Jon Benjamin, and Laura Silverman...
|
Herself |
Episode: Koppleman and Katz |
| Saturday Night Special Saturday Night Special was a 60 minute long, comedy-variety show. It aired weekly on Saturday nights on Fox.This show was a competitor to Saturday Night Live, with a similar format of comedy skits and musicians...
|
2 episodes |
| 1995–1996 |
Ned & Stacey Ned & Stacey is a US television sitcom that aired on the FOX network from 1995 to 1997. It starred Thomas Haden Church and Debra Messing. The major thread of the series was that the two were brought together in a marriage of convenience—Ned Dorsey needed to be married to get a promotion at...
|
Jeanne |
Episode: "Loganberry's Run" and "Accountus Interruptus" |
| 1997 |
Oddville, MTV Oddville, MTV is an American variety television series starring Rich Brown. The series premiered June 16, 1997, on MTV.-History:Oddville, MTV is based on the New York City public-access television cable TV series Beyond Vaudeville that Rich Brown hosted from 1987 to 1996.-Cast:*Rich Brown as host...
|
|
Episode: August 13, 1997 |
| The Wonderful World of Disney |
Mary |
Episode: "The New Barefoot Executive" |
| 1996–1998 |
SeinfeldSeinfeld is an American television sitcom that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, lasting nine seasons, and is now in syndication. It was created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, the latter starring as a fictionalized version of himself...
|
Sally Weaver |
Episode: "The Cartoon" and "The Doll" |
| 1997–1998 |
Premium Blend Premium Blend was a television show that aired on the American cable television channel Comedy Central from 1997 to 2005.The program features a well-known stand up comedian as an emcee who introduces four or five lesser known comedians looking for a big break on television...
|
Herself |
Hostess |
| 1999 |
Rock & Roll Jeopardy! Rock & Roll Jeopardy! is a variant of the quiz show Jeopardy! which centered entirely around popular music. The series was hosted by Jeff Probst and ran on VH1 from August 8, 1998 to May 12, 2001. Loretta Fox was the show's announcer for the first two seasons...
|
Celebrity edition |
| 2000 |
The X-FilesThe X-Files is an American science fiction television series and a part of The X-Files franchise, created by screenwriter Chris Carter. The program originally aired from to . The show was a hit for the Fox network, and its characters and slogans became popular culture touchstones in the 1990s...
|
Betty Templeton/Lulu Pfeiffer |
Episode: "Fight ClubThe seventh season of The X-Files commenced airing in the United States on November 7, 1999, concluded on May 21, 2000, and consists of twenty-two episodes. The X-Files is an American serial science fiction-horror-thriller television series. Season seven took place after the destruction of the...
" |
| 2000 |
Curb Your EnthusiasmCurb Your Enthusiasm is an American comedy television series produced and broadcast by HBO, which premiered on October 15, 2000. As of 2011, it has completed 80 episodes over eight seasons. The series was created by Seinfeld co-creator Larry David, who stars as a fictionalized version of himself...
|
Herself |
Episode: "The Pants Tent" |
| 1999–2000 |
Dilbert Dilbert is an animated television series spin-off of the comic strip of the same name, produced by Adelaide Productions, Idbox, and United Media and distributed by Columbia TriStar Television...
|
Alice |
Voice role (uncredited) |
| 1996–2000 |
Suddenly SusanSuddenly Susan is an American sitcom that was broadcast on NBC from 1996 to 2000. The show takes place at The Gate, a fictitious magazine which is based in San Francisco. Among the magazine's employees is Susan Keane , who always has been cared for by someone else...
|
Vicki Groener |
|
| 2001 |
The SimpsonsThe Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
|
Francine |
Episode: "Bye Bye Nerdie"Bye Bye Nerdie" is the sixteenth episode of the twelfth season of the American animated sitcom The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on March 11, 2001. In the episode, when she becomes the target of a female bully, Lisa discovers a scientific reason as to why...
" |
| Strong Medicine Strong Medicine is a medical drama with a focus on feminist politics, health issues and class conflict. The television series aired on the Lifetime network from 2000 to 2006. It is distributed by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. The series was created and produced in part by comedienne and...
|
Matchmaker |
Episode: "Silent Epidemic" |
| Weakest Link The Weakest Link is an American game show that aired on NBC from April 16, 2001 to July 14, 2002. It is based on the British show of the same name. Ten episodes were left unaired until appearing on PAX in 2002, with the remainder eventually airing on GSN...
|
Herself |
Episode: "Comedians Special" |
| Kathy's So Called Reality Kathy's So-Called Reality is a television clip show that aired in 2001, hosted by comedian and former Suddenly Susan star Kathy Griffin.The show was "part monologue, part round-table", featuring Griffin discussing clips from a variety of reality TV shows the week prior with a panel of family and...
|
Herself |
Hostess |
| 2002 |
The Drew Carey ShowThe Drew Carey Show is an American sitcom that aired on ABC from 1995 to 2004. The show was set in Cleveland, Ohio, and revolved around the retail office and home life of "everyman" Drew Carey, a fictionalized version of the actor....
|
Kathy |
Episode: "The Eagle Has Landed" |
|
-2002
"The Anna Nicole Show Christmas Special>
2003 |
What's New, Scooby-Doo? What's New, Scooby-Doo? is the ninth incarnation of the Hanna-Barbera Saturday morning cartoon Scooby-Doo, and a revival of the original show Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!. It was the first time the franchise was revived in over a decade. The animated series was developed and produced by Warner Bros....
|
Luis Agent Autumn Summerfield |
Episode: "The Unnatural" (Voice role) |
| Spider-Man: The New Animated Series Spider-Man: The New Animated Series is an animated series featuring the Marvel comic book superhero Spider-Man, which ran for one season, 13 episodes, starting on July 11, 2003...
|
Roxanne Gaines |
Episode: "Mind Game: Part 1" and "Part 2" (Voice role) |
| Crank Yankers Crank Yankers is an American TV show produced by Adam Carolla, Jimmy Kimmel and Daniel Kellison that featured actual prank calls made by show regulars and celebrity guests, and re-enacted onscreen by puppets for a visual aid to show the viewer what is happening in the call...
|
Marion Simons |
Episode: "Jim Florentine & Kathy Griffin" (Voice role)
sSegment: Marion gets an Estimate |
| The Mole The Mole was an American reality game show that aired on ABC. It was based on The Mole franchise of programs that have aired in numerous countries. The Mole was produced by Stone Stanley Entertainment for its first four seasons. It was cancelled but was later picked up again after a four year...
|
Herself |
Season 3 Celebrity Mole: Hawaii was the third overall season of the American version of The Mole and aired from January 8 to February 12, 2003. It was filmed on the Big Island of Hawaii in October 2002...
winner |
| 2002–2003 |
Whose Line Is It Anyway? Whose Line is it Anyway? is a comedy improv show hosted by Drew Carey on ABC that ran from August 5, 1998 to September 4, 2004, and subsequently on ABC Family since 2005...
|
4 episodes (5-02, 5–15, 5–19, 5–29) |
| 2002 |
National Lampoon's Funny Money National Lampoon's Funny Money is a comedy game show that aired on GSN from June 15 to October 24, 2003. The show was hosted by stand-up comedian Jimmy Pardo, and Budd Friedman served as the announcer.-Format:...
|
Episode 1 (Guest comedian) |
| 2004 |
Striperella |
The Bridesmaid |
Episode: "The Bridesmaid" and "Evil Things Come in Small Packages" (Voice role) |
Half & HalfHalf & Half is an American sitcom that aired on UPN from September 23, 2002, to May 15, 2006. The show focuses on the lives of two paternal half-sisters in their twenties who were estranged throughout their childhood, and are finally developing a close relationship...
|
Dr. Morgan |
Episode: "The Big Labor of Love Episode" |
| Celebrity Poker Showdown Celebrity Poker Showdown was a celebrity game show on the cable network Bravo. It was a limited-run series in which celebrities played poker, and ran eight tournaments during its five-season run....
|
Herself |
Two episodes, third tournament |
| 2001–2004 |
Hollywood SquaresHollywood Squares is an American panel game show in which two contestants play tic-tac-toe to win cash and prizes. The "board" for the game is a 3 × 3 vertical stack of open-faced cubes, each occupied by a celebrity seated at a desk and facing the contestants...
|
86 episodes |
| 2005 |
Cheap Seats |
Rae |
Episode: "1995 SuperDogs! Superjocks!" |
Days of our LivesDays of our Lives is a long running daytime soap opera broadcast on the NBC television network. It is one of the longest-running scripted television programs in the world, airing nearly every weekday in the United States since November 8, 1965. It has since been syndicated to many countries around...
|
Limo driver |
|
| 2006 |
Gameshow Marathon |
Herself |
"Match Game Match Game is an American television game show in which contestants attempted to match celebrities' answers to fill-in-the-blank questions...
" |
| 2007 |
Ugly BettyUgly Betty is an American comedy-drama television series developed by Silvio Horta, which premiered on ABC on September 28, 2006, and ended on April 14, 2010. The series revolves around the character Betty Suarez and is based on Fernando Gaitán's Colombian telenovela soap opera Yo soy Betty, la fea...
|
Fashion TV anchor |
Episode: "In or Out"In or Out" is an episode from the dramedy series Ugly Betty, the thirteenth in the series overall, which aired on January 18, 2007. It was written by Myra Jo Martino and directed by Michael Spiller...
" |
Loose WomenLoose Women is a British lunchtime television programme, first broadcast in 1999 on ITV. It consists of a panel of four women who interview celebrities and discuss topical issues, ranging from daily politics and current affairs, to celebrity gossip...
|
Herself |
|
| 2008 |
Rosie Live Rosie Live is a variety show starring Rosie O'Donnell that aired November 26, 2008 live from New York's Little Shubert Theatre on NBC. The family friendly program contained singing, dancing, comedy routines and specialty acts...
|
Impersonated Nancy GraceNancy Ann Grace is an American legal commentator, television host, television journalist, and former prosecutor. She frequently discusses issues from what she describes as a victims' rights standpoint, with an outspoken style that has won her both praise and condemnation...
|
| Dog Whisperer Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan is a reality television series that features Cesar Millan's work with problem dogs. In the United States, the program airs exclusively on the Nat Geo WILD channel with season 8 expected to premiere in 2012....
|
Episode: Season 4, Episode 24 |
| 2009 |
Privileged Privileged is an American television drama that premiered on The CW Television Network in the USA and Citytv in Canada on September 9, 2008. The series stars former Reba star Joanna García and is based on the Alloy Entertainment book How to Teach Filthy Rich Girls by Zoey Dean...
|
Olivia |
Episode: "All About a Brand New You" |
Paris Hilton's My New BFFParis Hilton's My New BFF, also known simply as My New BFF and other alternate titles, is a competitive reality television show in which Paris Hilton searches for her new BFF . Following the success of the original US version, another US season and two international spin-offs followed...
|
Herself |
Episode: "Must Have Thick Skin" (Special guest) |
| 2008–2010 |
Larry King Live Larry King Live is an American talk show hosted by Larry King on CNN from 1985 to 2010. It was CNN's most watched and longest-running program, with over one million viewers nightly....
|
Six episodes |
| 2009 |
The Comedy Central Roast Of Joan Rivers |
Roast Master |
| The Celebrity Apprentice 2 |
Special guest |
| 2005–2010 |
Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-ListKathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List is a reality show starring Kathy Griffin. The series aired on Bravo. It debuted in August 2005, and was cancelled in November 2010....
|
47 episodes
Gracie Allen Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series |
| 2010 |
Law & Order Special Victims Unit |
Babs Duffy |
Episode: "P.C." |
| RuPaul's Drag Race Season 2 The second season of RuPaul's Drag Race premiered on February 1, 2010 and aired its final episode on April 26, 2010. On May 1, 2009, the casting website for RuPaul's Drag Race opened for prospective contestants of season two to create user profiles and upload videos of themselves to be voted on by...
|
Guest Judge |
Episode: "Gone With The Windows" |
| The Marriage Ref The Marriage Ref is a TV reality show and panel game hosted by comedian Tom Papa and produced by Jerry Seinfeld, in which a rotating group of celebrities decides the winners of real-life marital disputes. The show premiered on NBC on Sunday, February 28, 2010 on the final night of the Olympics...
|
Guest Judge |
Episode: "Tracy MorganTracy Morgan is an American comedian who is best known for his eight seasons as a cast member on Saturday Night Live and currently known for playing the role of Tracy Jordan on the NBC series 30 Rock.-Early life:...
, Kathy Griffin, and Nathan LaneNathan Lane is an American actor of stage and screen. He is best known for his roles as Mendy in The Lisbon Traviata, Albert in The Birdcage, Max Bialystock in the musical The Producers, Ernie Smuntz in MouseHunt, Nathan Detroit in Guys and Dolls, Pseudolus in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to...
" |
Last Comic StandingLast Comic Standing is an American reality television talent show that has aired from 2003 through 2010.The goal of the program is to select a comedian from a group, who will receive a development contract with the NBC network, and a television special first to air on the cable-TV network Comedy...
|
Performer |
Season 7 finale |
| Shep & Tiffany Watch TV: The Best of 2010 |
|
Executive Producer |
| 2011 |
Glee Glee is an American musical comedy-drama television series that airs on Fox in the United States, and on GlobalTV in Canada. It focuses on the high school glee club New Directions competing on the show choir competition circuit, while its members deal with relationships, sexuality and social issues...
|
Tammy Jean Albertson |
| Drop Dead Diva Drop Dead Diva is an American legal comedy-drama/fantasy television series that debuted on Lifetime on July 12, 2009. The hour-long series, which was created by Josh Berman, is produced by Sony Pictures Television...
|
Jenna Kaswell-Bailey |
Episode: "He Said, She Said" |
America's Next Top ModelAmerica's Next Top Model is a reality television show in which a number of women compete for the title of America's Next Top Model and a chance to start their career in the modeling industry....
|
Guest Judge |
Season 17 |
| American Dad |
TBA |
Season 7 |
Stand-up specials
- HBO Comedy Half-Hour (1996)
- Kathy Griffin: Hot Cup of Talk (1998)
- Kathy Griffin: The D-List (2004)
- Kathy Griffin: Allegedly (2004)
- Kathy Griffin Is... Not Nicole Kidman (2005)
- Kathy Griffin: Strong Black Woman (2006)
- Kathy Griffin: Everybody Can Suck It (2007)
- Kathy Griffin: Straight To Hell (2007)
- Kathy Griffin: She'll Cut A Bitch (2009)
- Kathy Griffin: Balls Of Steel (2009)
- Kathy Griffin Does the Bible Belt (2010)
- Kathy Griffin: Whores on Crutches (2010)
- Kathy Griffin: 50 and Not Pregnant (2011)
- Kathy Griffin: Gurrl Down! (2011)
- Kathy Griffin: Pants Off (2011)
Discography
On June 10, 2008, Griffin released a comedy CD titled
For Your Consideration. It is Griffin's first audio-only release of her stand-up material. The disc was recorded at the ETK Theatre at the Grand Theatre Center For The Arts in
TracyTracy is the second most populated city in San Joaquin County, California, United States and an exurb of the San Francisco Bay Area. The population was 82,922 at the 2010 census.-History:...
, California on February 17, 2008. Included on the disc are her takes on various celebrities and her personal life. Griffin stated that she decided to release this CD to try to win a
Grammy awardThe Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album was awarded from yearly 1959 to 1993 and then from 2004 to present day. There have been several minor changes to the name of the award over this time:*From 1959 to 1967 it was Best Comedy Performance...
. On December 3, 2008, Griffin was nominated for a Grammy for Best Comedy Album. However, she lost to George Carlin's
It's Bad for YaIt's Bad for Ya is the 14th and final HBO stand-up comedy special by stand-up comedian George Carlin. It was televised live on March 1, 2008 on HBO, less than four months before he died of heart failure....
.
On August 25, 2009, Griffin released a second comedy album,
Suckin' It for the HolidaysSuckin' It for the Holidays is a Grammy-nominated comedy album recorded live in New Jersey by American stand-up comedian Kathy Griffin. It was released solely online shortly before the Grammy nominations cut-off, in her second attempt to win the award...
, in another bid for a Grammy. The album was initially released as a digital download and retail released on November 3, 2009. Despite the album's holiday title, it contains little holiday-related content, and it just barely made the nominations cut-off. On December 2, 2009 it was nominated for Best Comedy Album, making it Griffin's second Grammy nomination.
Griffin received her third Grammy nomination for "Kathy Griffin does the Bible Belt".
Awards and nominations
Primetime Emmy Awards
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| 2006
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Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-ListKathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List is a reality show starring Kathy Griffin. The series aired on Bravo. It debuted in August 2005, and was cancelled in November 2010....
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Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Reality ProgramOutstanding Reality Program is a Primetime Emmy Award handed out annually at the Primetime Emmy telecast.-2000s:-2010s:...
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| 2007
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| rowspan="2" style="text-align:left;"|2008
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Kathy Griffin: Straight to Hell
| Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety, Music, or Comedy Special
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| 2009
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Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List
| rowspan="3" style="text-align:left;"|Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Reality Program
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| 2010
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| 2011
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Grammy Awards
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| 2008
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For Your Consideration
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Grammy Award for Best Comedy AlbumThe Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album was awarded from yearly 1959 to 1993 and then from 2004 to present day. There have been several minor changes to the name of the award over this time:*From 1959 to 1967 it was Best Comedy Performance...
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| 2009
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Suckin' It for the Holidays
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| 2010
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Kathy Griffin Does the Bible Belt
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GLAAD Media AwardsThe GLAAD Media Award is an accolade bestowed by the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation to recognize and honor various branches of the media for their outstanding representations of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community and the issues that affect their lives...
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| 2009
| Kathy Griffin
| Vanguard Award
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PGA Awards
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| 2008
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Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List
| rowspan="3" style="text-align:left;"|Television Producer of the Year Award in Non-Fiction Television
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| 2009
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| 2010
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Gracie Awards
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| 2009
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Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List
| Outstanding Female Lead – Comedy Series
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External links