Firebrand comedienne, actress and author Kathy Griffin joined "Salon Talks" to discuss her recent world tour, "Laugh Your Head Off," and how she is reshaping her career and personal relationships in Hollywood since a 2017 photo of her holding a Donal...
Firebrand comedienne, actress and author Kathy Griffin joined "Salon Talks" to discuss her recent world tour, "Laugh Your Head Off," and how she is reshaping her career and personal relationships in Hollywood since a 2017 photo of her holding a Donald Trump Halloween mask covered in ketchup went viral. The stunt cost her jobs and friends, she told SalonTV's Alli Joseph.
"I laid on the floor for two days after [it went viral] in a pool of tears and my own urine," she joked, turning serious when she added that she lost many friends, and her CNN job hosting the New Year's Eve show with Anderson Cooper (who expressed his disappointment in her through a tweet at the time).
After wrapping her international tour, Griffin says it's uncertain where her next job will be and if she'll ever find a home on TV again. "Maybe 75 percent of them have come back," she said without affect, and with a note of sadness in her voice. "But like Joan Rivers, I always like to know ahead of time where my next jobs are, and now, it's terrifying to look ahead and have nothing booked."
Griffin's
online store, appears to be doing a brisk holiday business on anti-Trump mugs, shirts and ornaments, and other Griffin humor-tinged gear, including hats that say "Impeach Brett."
As of press time, some of Griffin's holiday ornaments were sold out, notably the one that's rainbow-colored with an anti-Trump sentiment. But, Griffin can't likely live on merch sales alone-her next paid endeavor is turning her recent tour into a documentary. She is currently shopping it to film festivals, since the networks won't touch it.
In spite of the past year's adversity, Griffin says her resolve to keep telling the truth about the current state of affairs through humor is rooted in her Chicago upbringing with political discussions around the dinner table, and her effortlessly funny mother.
"Using humor is the only way I know how to communicate," Griffin said. "My dad passed away, but he was comedian funny, where he could be funny on cue. My mom is hilarious and she doesn't know why, she's just a character. I was born to be a comedian."
Griffin also said she's surprised that some people are against her being a political comedian. "I come from a funny family, and we had very politically engaged dinner conversations," Griffin noted. "You had to bring your A-game to the table, while we were having Hamburger Helper," she smiled.
Watch the episode above to hear more about Griffin's experiences with the FBI and how she first met President Trump back in the '90s during his guest appearance on "Suddenly Susan."