Maybe now more than ever, we all need to laugh. Kathy Griffin, the Emmy and Grammy award-winning comedian, knows this truth all too well. After seven years, she’s back to remind us how vital humor is.
And it’s not like Griffin volunteered to step away. In 2017, she posted a now-infamous picture of herself with a bloody prop head modeled after Donald Trump. The image led to the abrupt end of her stand-up tour, lost sponsorships and her firing from CNN’s New Year’s Eve broadcast. But it marked the beginning of the entertainer’s darkest period.
“I went through too much sh*t for one time zone,” Griffin said. “Starting with the Trump picture, I went through addiction, to a suicide attempt, to getting sober, to getting lung cancer and half of my left lung removed, and a divorce. And thank God I’m back on tour.”
Smiling through the pain
Griffin’s upcoming show comes fresh off the heels of the presidential election. For many of her fans, the future can easily feel bleak and hopeless. Griffin’s thankful to give them an opportunity to take a deep breath, step back from it all and laugh — and occasionally grown — until their stomachs hurt.
“I feel like with this show, we’re all collectively going through some PTSD,” Griffin said. “It’s so real and raw that you have to make fun of it. I make fun of my own diagnosis of complex PTSD. Whatever it is, you’ve got to extract something from that experience and laugh.”
Griffin went through a gauntlet of events, any of which could have completely ended her career. In fact, she now holds a distinction as the only comedian formally investigated by the Department of Justice.
“There’s a time and a place for people to be canceled,” Griffin said. “But my situation isn’t just about being cancelled. It’s historic and precedent setting.”
And the criticism people could face from attending one of her shows isn’t lost on her.
“I’m not being hyperbolic when I say every show is a gift,” Griffin said. “I’m hyper aware of what it means to say around your office or your family that you’re going to see Kathy Griffin — the ‘lady from the Trump picture.’ You’ve got to have balls to buy a ticket to my show.”
Half a lung down
Beyond her seven-year cancellation, Griffin faced another derailing challenge. Despite never smoking, she received a lung cancer diagnosis in 2021. The subsequent operation to remove a portion of her left lung also paralyzed some of her vocal cords.
This kind of thing could seem like an irreparable blow to a stand-up comedian. And it almost certainly would be without Griffin’s determination — as well as a timely recommendation from her close friend and nine-time Grammy nominee, Sia.
One tiny implant later, Griffin’s back to her recognizable and bombastic volume.
“I just got my voice back 11 weeks ago,” Griffin said. “And I couldn’t talk for two weeks after the surgery, which was like a death sentence to me.”
Griffin describes herself as a “celebratory eater,” and she’s currently taking a cross-country victory lap.
“I’m in a Key lime pie phase,” Griffin said. “I’m getting them mailed from Key West, Florida. And if I want to eat one a day, damn it, I’m going to!”
Humor and healing
While Griffin has returned to form with this tour, it’s not without some trepidation. As rights potentially get stripped from her family and friends, she knows the same could be true for her audience.
But while oppressive voices get louder, Griffin knows there should always be space to clap back.
“I want my show to be a place where you can let your freak flag fly,” Griffin said. “That doesn’t mean I’m not fearful of the stuff we joke about. The audience and I will have a sense of shock and awe in common.”
Even so, Griffin knows her stand-up sets provide a place of solace, even for just a few hours.
“I know when I hear a certain kind of laugh, I got that person,” Griffin said. “I love that. It makes every show different. And I’m there to please. I want to direct myself toward whatever makes you guys laugh. We need it, right?”
Kathy Griffin: My Life on the PTSD-List stops at Tower Theatre, 425 NW 23rd St., on Friday, Nov. 15 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $50-$80. Visit towertheatreokc.com.
This article appears in Bigger than basketball.