Kathy Griffin: This Joke Made Me The Most Hated Woman in America

We Need To Talk with Paul C. Brunson

FlightStory

Relationships, Society & Culture, Leisure

4.7 • 1.2K Ratings

🗓️ 14 April 2026

⏱️ 109 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Kathy Griffin cancelled, controversy, losing everything overnight, and rebuilding after 7 years out of work. Kathy opens up about what really happened behind the headlines, why she regrets apologising, and how she survived losing her career, friendships, and identity overnight. Kathy reflects on the fallout that followed, from being investigated and publicly condemned to losing 75% of her friends. She speaks about the anxiety that came with it, the pressure of being constantly judged, and why she believes the narrative around her story is only now starting to change. Kathy also shares her journey into Hollywood, breaking through later than most and facing years of rejection about her looks and worth. From being told she wasn’t “pretty enough” to building a career on her own terms, she explains how she carved out success in an industry that often pushed her out. She opens up about addiction, recovery, and the period where everything caught up with her. Kathy reflects on rebuilding her life, finding new friendships, and why she continues to speak out despite the risk of backlash. Kathy Griffin, We Need To Talk This episode contains discussion of addiction and suicide. We’ve included links to support charities below: Samaritans: https://linkly.link/2dx7Z CALM: https://linkly.link/2dx8H MIND: https://linkly.link/2dx8b Follow me here: https://www.instagram.com/needtotalk https://www.tiktok.com/@weneedtotalkpod Sign up to our newsletter https://linkly.link/2eXHX Follow Kathy here: https://www.instagram.com/kathygriffin/ https://www.tiktok.com/@kathygriffin Sponsored by: Saily - Download from the app store and use code WNTT at checkout for 15% off. For more details: https://saily.com/wntt ⛵ 00:00 Intro02:16 Kathy’s Childhood in 1960s Chicago 03:52 Racial Tensions in 1960s Chicago 06:23 Kathy’s Relationship With Her Parents 12:07 The Beginnings of Kathy’s Comedy in School 15:13 How Kathy Convinced Her Parents to Move to LA 18:44 Kathy and Her Family’s First Years in LA 21:56 The Beginnings of Kathy’s Acting Career in LA 26:25 Kathy’s Early Auditions and Break on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air 32:52 Kathy’s Relationship With Quentin Tarantino 37:54 Suddenly Susan and Kathy’s First HBO Special 53:55 Statistics on Gender and Comedy 59:05 Saily Ad 01:00:30 The Context Behind Kathy’s Relationship With Donald Trump 01:06:09 The Story Behind ‘That Photo’ 01:09:52 The Media Backlash and Kathy’s ‘Cancellation’ 01:15:16 How the Backlash Affected Kathy’s Mental Health 01:23:04 Paul Surprises Kathy With A Letter 01:25:19 How Kathy Bounced Back 01:31:17 Kathy Breaks Down Her Relationship History 01:36:23 Kathy’s Self-Esteem and Cosmetic Procedures 01:40:54 Kathy on Her Relationships With Famous Friends 01:43:44 Most Memorable Conversation 01:45:52 Paul’s Takeaways Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	I was the most hated woman in America.
0:02.0	Then I was on the no-fly list.
0:03.6	Then on the Interpol list, they wanted to charge me with the crime of conspiracy to assassinate the president of the United States.
0:10.8	So, Kathy, what happened after that moment?
0:14.1	So I was getting kicked out of school in first grade because I was the class clown.
0:19.4	So at a young age, you know I'm going to be a comedian. they used to say they're right to my face so it's not personal kathy that you had a good audition but they're going to go pretty and i'd be like oh okay there was no ozempic then no you have to starve yourself i thought if i stick with it and get better it'll be my turn someday and then it eventually was my turn
0:37.5	your uncle's dog doll doll I did definitely want to talk about relationships so
0:41.6	quitting Tarantino Conan O'Brien and then Steve Wozniak I'm gonna be honest um you could see
0:47.4	how there's many traumatic the picture cancer divorce addiction not working I have learned the cliche, there's no such thing as bad publicity, is actually not true.
0:58.6	Your career, your friendships.
1:00.9	Everybody abandoned me.
1:02.7	So I then became addicted to prescription pills.
1:05.0	I took like 100 pills because I was like, who am I if I'm not being Kathy Griffin and making
1:09.4	you guys laugh?
1:10.7	Would you go back in that moment and change anything?
1:14.1	The only thing I regret is...
1:18.9	Oh, hey there.
1:20.6	Before we begin, I just want to say,
1:22.5	if you enjoy this conversation, be sure to like it.
1:25.1	Be sure to comment about what you appreciated.
1:29.2	And be sure to subscribe. It helps us to bring more guests that you want to see
1:32.8	Thank you Kathy Griffin, we need to talk.
	...

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