Comedian and leftist activist Kathy Griffin discussed her return to the stand-up circuit after taking a break following the 2017 Trump photo scandal in an interview published Friday.
The 62-year-old celebrity recently underwent vocal surgery. In August 2021, she discussed being diagnosed with lung cancer and having a lobectomy to remove the cancer.
During a new interview with People, Griffin talked about her “crippling” anxiety and PTSD, which she said stems from her medical issues and from the 2017 photo scandal. The comedian made headlines after sharing an image of herself holding what looked like the severed, bloody head of then-President Donald Trump.
During the fallout from the controversy, Griffin was fired from her annual New Year’s Eve co-host job with Anderson Cooper. Also, more than 25 theaters canceled her upcoming shows in the wake of her posting the photo.
“I feel like I lost my voice creatively. And then I got cancer, and I literally lost my voice. And honestly, I think that’s kind of the PTSD,” she said of what happened after.
Griffin bragged about her upcoming solo show in Las Vegas, describing the tickets practically selling out as “unbelievable.”
“It’s actually hard to sell tickets to Vegas, because it’s a very last-minute town. And you know, that’s real. Like money talks, bullsh** walks. So I’m hoping that other buyers see my ticket sales and go, ‘Hey, she’s not controversial anymore.’”
“I am coming out of my cancellation. And the cancer isn’t killing me. I can still put together a show. I love writing,” Griffin said. “I don’t know what’s gonna work. I don’t know what isn’t. But that’s a very different place than I was even six months ago.”
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The comedian said she’s planning on sharing “the whole journey” of what happened in the post-photo scandal years, but confirmed that she’s not planning to use Trump in her material.
“I feel like I figuratively lost my comedic voice because of the Trump photo scandal, I literally lost my voice due to the cancer surgery and now I finally have my voice back,” Griffin told People. “I’m a grateful, naughty comedian again!”