7 hours Ago By Nicole Massabrook
Kathy Griffin has been open about the highs and lows of her life. Born in November 1960, Griffin grew up in Illinois before moving to Los Angeles in 1978. She joined the famous improv troupe The Groundlings before starting her stand-up career in the 1990s.
Of course, most fans have seen her on TV as she starred on sitcoms, including Suddenly Susan and Caroline in the City , before launching her Bravo reality show, Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List , which aired from 2005 to 2010. Amid her success, Griffin has also dealt with personal and professional stress. The comedian spoke out about her complex post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in April 2023 via TikTok .
“They call it an extreme case,” she told viewers at the time. “If any of you know my story, you’ll understand that this really started for me about five and a half years ago. Wink.
You know, the cancer didn’t help.” You have successfully subscribed. By signing up, I agree to the Terms and Privacy Policy and to receive emails from Us Weekly Check our latest news in Google News Check our latest news in Apple News She shared the video less than two years after she first disclosed her stage 1 lung cancer diagnosis in August 2021.
Griffin underwent surgery to remove part of her lung and announced she was cancer-free the following November. Scroll down to see Griffin’s ups and downs over the years: Credit: John Salangsang/Shutterstock Comedian Kathy Griffin’s Ups and Downs Throughout the Years Kathy Griffin has been open about the highs and lows of her life.Born in November 1960, Griffin grew up in Illinois before moving to Los Angeles in 1978.
She joined the famous improv troupe The Groundlings before starting her stand-up career in the 1990s. Of course, most fans have seen her on TV as she starred on sitcoms, including Suddenly Susan and Caroline in the City , before launching her Bravo reality show, Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List , which aired from 2005 to 2010. Amid her success, Griffin has also dealt with personal and professional stress.
The comedian spoke out about her complex post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in April 2023 via TikTok . "They call it an extreme case," she told viewers at the time. "If any of you know my story, you'll understand that this really started for me about five and a half years ago.
Wink. You know, the cancer didn't help."She shared the video less than two years after she first disclosed her stage 1 lung cancer diagnosis in August 2021.
Griffin underwent surgery to remove part of her lung and announced she was cancer-free the following November.Scroll down to see Griffin's ups and downs over the years: Credit: Moviestore/Shutterstock Early 1990s Griffin started her stand-up career and got her first sitcom gigs on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air , Mad About You and Ellen . She landed her series regular role as Vicki Groener on Suddenly Susan in 1996.
Credit: BEI/Shutterstock 2001 She married Matt Moline. The two divorced in 2006. Credit: Sipa/Shutterstock 2005 Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List started a five-year run on Bravo.
Credit: Matt Baron/BEI/Shutterstock 2007 The funny lady took home her first Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Reality TV Program. She won the award the following year as well. Credit: Amanda Schwab/Starpix/Shutterstock 2009 Griffin published her bestselling memoir, Official Book Club Selection: A Memoir According to Kathy Griffin .
She also started hosting CNN's New Year's Eve broadcast alongside Cooper. Credit: Jim Smeal/BEI/Shutterstock 2013 Kathy was inducted into the Guinness Book of World Records for writing and starring in an unprecedented 20 televised stand-up specials — more than any comedian in history Credit: Paul Buck/EPA/Shutterstock 2014 She finally won the Grammy for Best Comedy Album after being nominated for six years consecutively. Credit: Suzanne Cordeiro/Shutterstock 2017 The comic held up a fake decapitated head that looked like Trump.
She lost her CNN gig , her Squatty Potty endorsement deal and more. She was investigated by the Justice Department for two months. After she was removed from the no-fly list, she claimed she was detained at every airport on her Laugh Your Head Off World Tour .
Credit: Eric Charbonneau/Shutterstock 2019 She attempted to make a comeback in Hollywood with Kathy Griffin: A Hell of a Story , which documented the fallout of the decapitation photo. Credit: Courtesy Kathy Griffin/Twitter 2020 Griffin and Randy Bick tied the knot after nearly a decade together. Lily Tomlin officiated the ceremony.
Credit: Vince Bucci/AP/Shutterstock 2020 Two months after her wedding, the star's mother died. "My Mom, the one and only, Maggie Griffin, passed away today. I am gutted.
My best friend. I’m shaking,” Kathy wrote via social media at the time. “I won’t ever be prepared.
I’m so grateful you guys got to be part of her life. You knew her. You loved her.
She knew it. Oh, and OF COURSE she went on St Patrick’s Day.” Credit: BauerGriffin/INSTARimages/Cover Images 2021 The Seinfeld alum revealed she was diagnosed with stage 1 lung cancer.
She underwent surgery and announced she was cancer-free later that year. Credit: John Salangsang/Shutterstock 2022 Griffin landed a four-episode arc on the comedy Search Party , her first TV gig in five years. “I just want to get back to making people laugh,” she told The New York Times .
“More than anything else, that’s what has been robbed from me.” Credit: John Salangsang/Shutterstock 2023 Days after revealing her PTSD diagnosis, Griffin started revealing how she tries to cope. "I’ve been telling you guys about my struggle with anxiety and PTSD.
Well, I had about an eight-hour long episode yesterday during the day," she wrote via TikTok. "But I was OK for this wonderful dinner salon because I did not vomit or anything. I find it so helpful to have these gatherings.
Phones down. Just smart people and good conversation, lots of laughs and great food. It’s a total game changer for me to be able to connect with people in real life!" Credit: Courtesy of Kathy Griffin/Instagram 2023 Griffin documented her experience undergoing vocal cord surgery following her recovery from lung cancer via a May TikTok upload.
“This is just part of my recovery post-lung cancer surgery. I’m cancer-free,” she said while laying a hospital bed in the video — which also featured clips from her pre-op appointment. Credit: Amy Sussman/Getty Images 2025 Griffin announced in April 2025 that she underwent a hysterectomy.
“Happy Monday! I had a hysterectomy on Friday,” the comedian wrote via Instagram at the time. “That’s right they took out the uterus, the fallopian tubes & the ovaries. Pre-cancerous [sic], blah blah blah.
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