Kathy Griffin facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Kathy Griffin
Griffin at the 2019 South by Southwest Festival
Birth name	Kathleen Mary Griffin
Born	(1960-11-04) November 4, 1960 (age 64) Oak Park, Illinois, U.S.
Medium	Stand-up television
Years active	1980–present
Genres	Observational comedy black comedy improvisational comedy
Subject(s)	Popular culture current events Catholicism LGBTQ community Irish-American culture
Spouse	Matt Moline ​ ​ (m. 2001; div. 2006)​ Randy Bick ​ ​ (m. 2020; separated 2023)​

Kathleen Mary Griffin (born November 4, 1960) is a famous American comedian and actress. She has starred in many TV shows and comedy specials. She has also released several comedy albums. In 2007 and 2008, Kathy won Primetime Emmy Awards for her reality TV show Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List. She has also acted in movies.

Kathy was born in Oak Park, Illinois, which is a suburb of Chicago. In 1978, she moved to Los Angeles. There, she studied acting at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute. She also joined an improv comedy group called The Groundlings. In the 1990s, Kathy started doing stand-up comedy. She also appeared as a guest on TV shows. One of her roles was on the NBC sitcom Suddenly Susan (1996–2000).

Her reality show Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List (2005–2010) was very popular on the Bravo network. This show helped her win two Emmy Awards. Kathy has released six comedy albums. All of them were nominated for a Grammy Award. Her first album, For Your Consideration (2008), was special. It made her the first female comedian to reach the top of the Billboard Top Comedy Albums chart. In 2009, she wrote her autobiography called Official Book Club Selection: A Memoir According to Kathy Griffin. After being nominated for six years in a row, she finally won a Grammy for Best Comedy Album in 2014.

Kathy has recorded many stand-up comedy specials for HBO and Bravo. For Bravo, she has recorded sixteen TV specials. This broke a Guinness World record for the most aired TV specials on any network. In 2011, she was also the first comedian to have four specials on TV in one year. Kathy is known for her bold and sometimes controversial comedy style.

Early Life and Beginnings

Kathy Griffin at the VH1 Divas Awards in 2009

Kathleen Mary Griffin was born on November 4, 1960. Her parents, Mary Margaret "Maggie" Griffin and John Patrick Griffin, were both Irish-Americans. Kathy has four older brothers and sisters. She described herself as a child who loved to talk all the time. Her brother Gary and sister Joyce both passed away from cancer.

When she was young, Kathy would visit her neighbors. She would tell them stories about her family. She says these visits were like her first live shows. She learned how powerful interesting stories could be. Kathy also mentioned that she struggled with eating habits when she was younger. In her 2009 book, she said she still deals with these issues but has learned to manage them.

At elementary school, Kathy started to dislike organized religion. This was because of the punishments she and other students received from the nuns. In high school, she found comfort in musical theater. She played roles in plays like How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. During her last year, she decided she wanted to be a professional actor. Her first TV appearance was as an extra in a Chicago White Sox commercial. At 18, she convinced her parents to move to Los Angeles. She hoped to become famous there.

When she was 19, Kathy saw a show by the improv group The Groundlings. She felt like that was exactly where she wanted to be.

Comedy Career and TV Shows

Kathy Griffin performing stand up in Las Vegas in 2008

Kathy Griffin started performing in the early 1990s. She was part of The Groundlings, an improv comedy group in Los Angeles. She then began doing stand-up comedy. She became known in the alternative comedy scene. With comedian Janeane Garofalo, she created a stand-up act called "Hot Cup of Talk." This later became the name of her 1998 solo HBO special. Kathy also got many roles in TV and movies during the 1990s. She appeared in Medusa: Dare to Be Truthful, a parody film. She also played a reporter named Susan Klein on NBC's The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.

On June 12, 2008, Kathy hosted the first Bravo! Canada A-List Awards. She also hosted the 2009 Bravo A-List Awards.

In September 2009, Kathy's book, Official Book Club Selection: A Memoir According to Kathy Griffin, was published. It quickly became a number one best-seller on The New York Times Best Seller list. A week before that, she released her second comedy album, Suckin' It for the Holidays. This was another attempt to win a Grammy Award. On November 3, 2009, it was announced that Kathy would host a new ABC show called Let's Dance.

Kathy hosted CNN's New Year's Eve broadcast on December 31, 2009, with Anderson Cooper. She also guest-starred in a 2009 episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

Since the 2008 presidential election, Kathy has often joked about politicians. She parodied Sarah Palin on the TV show Glee.

In January 2012, it was announced that Kathy would host a weekly talk show called Kathy. The show included stand-up routines and celebrity interviews. In April 2013, Kathy announced that her show would not continue for a third season. Bravo planned to film more comedy specials with her after the show ended.

On June 13, 2014, it was announced that Kathy would host the 41st Daytime Emmy Awards. This was the first time the show was streamed online instead of being on a TV network. The ceremony happened on June 22, 2014. Critics liked Kathy's performance as host.

Guest Co-Host of The View

Kathy Griffin was a co-host of The View from May 2007 to September 2007. She filled in after Rosie O'Donnell left. She was a guest on the show again in 2009 and 2010.

Laugh Your Head Off World Tour

In August 2017, Kathy Griffin announced a worldwide comedy tour. The tour was called "Laugh Your Head Off." It visited cities in Singapore, Australia, Germany, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and many other places. Many shows sold out quickly, so Kathy added more dates. She continued the tour in North America in May 2018. This included shows at famous venues like Radio City Music Hall and Carnegie Hall in New York City.

Comedy Style

Kathy Griffin at the VH1 Divas Awards in 2009

Kathy Griffin learned to love popular culture from her family. They often talked about the latest news. She said she was interested in shows like The Brady Bunch but also wanted to watch serious news events. She also said her mother, Maggie, helped her enjoy pop culture. Kathy also looked up to the character Rhoda Morgenstern from the 1970s TV show The Mary Tyler Moore Show.

Kathy became known for her honest observations about everyday life. She also talked about her dating experiences. Later, she started focusing on making fun of celebrities. Her shows now often include exaggerated stories about famous people. Kathy hopes that people understand she doesn't mean to be mean with her humor. She said she is a fan of most of the people she jokes about. She tries to make fun of people's actions, not how they look.

Sometimes, Kathy makes fun of herself in her comedy. She often jokes about her "D-list" status in Hollywood. She sees herself as an outsider in Hollywood. She has close celebrity friends like Rosie O'Donnell, Joan Rivers, Jerry Seinfeld, Gloria Estefan, and Lance Bass. Her friendship with Lance Bass led to a disagreement with gossip blogger Perez Hilton. Kathy and Hilton later ended their disagreement. Hilton even appeared on her show in 2007.

Advocacy and Support

Kathy Griffin arriving at a rally in Washington, D.C.

Kathy Griffin is a strong supporter of LGBT rights, including marriage equality. She has joined protests in West Hollywood, California. Footage from these protests was shown on her reality show Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List. Her mother was also a supporter of LGBT rights. She often appeared with Kathy at protests. Before the Proposition 8 vote, Kathy volunteered for the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center. She went door-to-door to ask people about their opinions on LGBT marriage rights.

In March 2010, Kathy helped organize a rally in Washington, D.C. This rally was to support ending "Don't ask, don't tell." This was a policy that affected gay people in the military. She said she organized the rally after meeting gay service members. Kathy also met with members of Congress to encourage them to end the policy.

Kathy is a long-time supporter of the Aid for AIDS fundraiser Best in Drag Show in Los Angeles. She hosted the opening of the show for over five years. In November 2009, Aid For AIDS gave Kathy Griffin an "AFA Angel Award."

Kathy has often joked about Sarah Palin and her family in her comedy routines. In March 2011, Sarah Palin called Kathy a "bully." In her reality show, Kathy visited the Palin family home in Wasilla, Alaska. She invited Palin to her stand-up show.

Personal Life and Health

Kathy Griffin at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival

Kathy Griffin is an atheist. She has said that she became more atheist because of how the country was changing. In her book, she mentioned that she stopped following her Roman Catholic beliefs in high school. She considered becoming a Unitarian. On March 9, 2008, Kathy Griffin became an ordained minister with the Universal Life Church.

She has had issues with LASIK eye surgery. She had several operations that left her with some vision problems in one eye.

Kathy's only sister, Joyce Patricia Griffin, passed away in September 2017 from cancer. Kathy shaved her head in support of her sister. Her brother Gary died of esophageal cancer in 2014. Her oldest brother, Kenny, died in October 2001.

Her father, John Patrick Griffin, died of heart failure in February 2007. He was 91 years old. Her mother, Maggie Griffin, who was on her reality show, died on March 17, 2020. Kathy shared that she was heartbroken. She was grateful that her fans got to know and love her mother.

In 2007, Oxygen TV channel listed her as 17th on their "The 50 Funniest Women Alive" list. In 2009, she received a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs, California, Walk of Stars.

Kathy lived in the Hollywood Hills from 2004 to 2016. Since then, she has lived in Bel Air. In August 2021, she announced she was diagnosed with lung cancer, even though she is not a smoker. She had surgery that same month to remove half of her left lung.

In April 2023, Kathy shared that she was diagnosed with an "extreme case" of complex post-traumatic stress disorder.

Marriages and Relationships

Kathy Griffin with her then-boyfriend Steve Wozniak in April 2008

Kathy Griffin and Jim Weiskopf of the Fisher House Foundation during her visit to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in April 2008

Kathy Griffin married computer administrator Matt Moline in 2001. They divorced in May 2006.

In July 2007, there were rumors that Kathy was dating Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak. They attended the 2007 Emmy Awards together. In February 2008, Kathy confirmed their relationship. They were King and Queen of the Humane Society of Silicon Valley Fur Ball in April 2008. In June 2008, it was confirmed that they were no longer dating.

On August 9, 2009, Kathy attended the Teen Choice Awards with Levi Johnston. She later interviewed him on Larry King Live.

In March 2011, Kathy announced she was dating actor and former NFL player Isaiah Mustafa. He later said he was single. In the same interview, she mentioned ending a four-year relationship with a "regular guy." It was later revealed to be her tour manager.

From 2012 until November 2018, Kathy was in a relationship with marketing executive Randy Bick. They got back together in April 2019. Kathy married Randy Bick at her home on January 1, 2020. Comedian Lily Tomlin officiated the ceremony. On December 29, 2023, Kathy filed for divorce from Bick. Their divorce was finalized on January 13, 2025.

Film and Television Appearances

Film Roles

Television Roles

Other Appearances

Stand-Up Comedy Specials

Music Albums

On June 10, 2008, Kathy Griffin released a comedy CD called For Your Consideration. She recorded it in Tracy, California. Kathy said she released the CD to try and win a Grammy award.

On August 25, 2009, she released her second comedy album, Suckin' It for the Holidays. This was another attempt to win a Grammy.

Kathy received her third Grammy nomination for Kathy Griffin: Does the Bible Belt in 2010.

On May 4, 2012, the full song "I'll Say It" was released on iTunes. This was the theme song for her show Kathy. On August 20, 2012, Kathy released an EP with dance remixes of "I'll Say It."

Her fourth and fifth albums are 50 and Not Pregnant (2011) and Seaman 1st Class (2012).

Calm Down Gurrl (2013) was her sixth album. It won the Grammy for Best Comedy Album at the 56th Grammy Awards.

Her seventh album was recorded in Las Vegas and released in 2014.

See also

In Spanish: Kathy Griffin para niños