"Bad gay, bad gay!" is one of the first things that Kathy Griffin declares when I say that I’ve never been on a gay cruise. The thought of one is somewhat terrifying to me, but Griffin insists that someone needs to experience it.

"I'm telling you dudes that are older dudes that have no business in a thong are proudly walking around, man, yeah, I got it going on. So, I kind of love it. Just be open to trying one once, just a two night one. I just feel like it has got to be a bucket list. And even if you're just an observer, it's going to blow your mind and you'll get blown."

Griffin spoke to GayCalgary in advance of her Life on the PTSD List tour that plays at the Jack Singer Concert Hall February 22^nd and the Francis Winspear Centre in Edmonton February 23^rd. Everything was on the table from the open book Griffin including cancel culture, her own cancellation experience, the importance of comedy, the need for authenticity in comedy and the responsibility to give audiences unique experiences her upcoming tour, and mental health. Griffin has experienced a lot of trauma going back to 2017 when a photo holding a mannequin head of Trump lead to losing bookings, the CNN New Years Eve hosting gig, and friends.

"I had no intention to behead him. That photo was a take on Medusa and in fact, believe it or not, beheading is iconic in comedy in many ways. I mean, that film Death Becomes Her. There's a funny part where they lose their heads. There's a movie with David Spade called Eight Heads in a Duffel Bag. I did not reinvent the wheel, but I thought what I was so wrong about is I thought it was a sentiment that at least women would agree with and see how dangerous Trump is. And at that time, I don't know if people just didn't know or liked him or weren't paying enough attention, but man, they were not ready."

"Cancel Culture" has become a polarizing term. The recent announcement of Gina Carano as a guest at the Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo received backlash both from those unhappy at her being paid to appear, and fans decrying that she does not deserve to be "cancelled for having a different opinion."

"As far as people like Gina Carano, I'm sorry. There's a difference between me doing a parody photo about the President, the most arguably most powerful man in the world, which is very much punching up and a woman being on a set talking about how being Republican was like the Holocaust and then publicly talking about it. So as someone who was very canceled, believe it or not, there are cancellations I actually think are justified. Also, people have to remember, I had the government take away my First Amendment rights, not a private company. I was fired by every private company from Peacock to CNN, which is their right. But it was the federal government putting me on the no-fly list and making it so that I couldn't make a living that was bullshit. And let's face it on the right wing, most of the people who are complaining about getting canceled aren't even canceled. They're all gigging. I didn't make a penny for six fucking years, couldn't make a living because of Donald Trump and the Attorney General and the Department of Justice and all that stuff. I get a little self-righteous because yes, mine was a cancellation, but I almost refer to it. I prefer to refer to it as an investigation because Gina Carano and all those other losers, they were never investigated. They got fired from a big budget show because you can't walk around a set comparing to the Holocaust."

Griffin’s trials and tribulations didn’t end there. Despite never smoking, she was diagnosed with Stage 1 Lung Cancer in 2021. Surgery removed half of her left lung, and while the cancer is gone, she had multiple vocal cord surgeries to repair damage from the cancer and treatment. She has been diagnosed with severe PTSD, battled a pill addiction, and attempted suicide. If that wasn’t enough on December 22, 2023, she filed for divorce from her husband of four years, Randy Bick. Yet she still stands tall and offers honesty and inspiration to people who also struggle. Her advice for others?

"Man, look for the comedy. Look for the commonalities of other people, whether you find them on social media or dating apps or I have these salon parties at my house, which I just live for. Just get people together and get 'em to your house and force them to not allow any phones at the table and just laugh. The stuff I got through with cancer, just laughing every time they called my name wrong, Kathy Lee Gifford. I'm like, no, I'm not her. It's Griffin, but you're close enough. And just things like that would happen constantly where I'd be in an oncologist's office and I'd still be cracking up because they fucking called me Kathy Lee Gifford again, which has been happening to me for 30 fucking years. And Kathy Lee Gifford does not find it funny. One bit, which makes me find it even more funny. So, look for the comedy. It's there and sometimes it's hard to see but keep digging. And if not, just follow me on social media and I'll give you a good chuckle and come see me live."

Laying out life’s challenges has been part of the success of comics like Griffin and one of her closest friends, Margaret Cho. When Cho was last in Calgary, she also talked about a suicide attempt. Somehow subjects that shouldn’t be funny like cancer or suicide can be presented in a manner that is both compassionate and funny.

"It's funny because Margaret isn't making that shit up, and that's what Margaret and I do. From My Life on the D List to my specials. Look, I'm going to brag because I love this compliment, but I wish he'd said it publicly. But Chris Rock said that I have changed comedy more than any comedian in the last 25 years because I was the first one to go out there and talk about celebrity encounters and really kind of talk smack about celebrities. And almost like I said, 21 specials. And I think the reason people respond is they know I'm not making it up. They know that everybody knows certain celebrities hate me. It's gotten better over the years as I've gotten older. But Demi Lovato is not a fan, and she never will be. Lana Delray does not care for my humor. I don't think she's going to change, which means I have to keep making fun of them. I mean, these girls are multimillion dollar giant pop stars. They can take a little joke from good old Kathy now and again, but the audience can smell it. They can tell when you're bullshitting and when you're not. And I've just never done that kind of standup that's like, Hey, what if Lincoln worked at the Mall of America? Wouldn't that be crazy? No.... I went to Paris Hilton's birthday party last week that gave me a good half hour alone."

Griffin’s storytelling has become legendary. Including an anecdote about hooking up with a certain member of NSync. Joey Fatone has often joked his last name should be pronounced "Fat One" referring to his penis.

"Can confirm. Proud of it, honey, proud of it. And he better be as well. Next time I see him, I better say, you better fucking be proud of me and back it up. I just told everybody, you have a big dick. Unlike what Brittany said about Justin in her book, yummy, yummy, juicy."

The challenges of life on the road are well documented. With 40 dates scheduled, Griffin has a lot of travel on the go but knows that she will be ok despite her recent medical and mental health challenges.

"I'm afraid of sounding as my mom would say hi and mighty. But the truth is I've always attacked my career like an athlete. And so, I work out a ton. I do a 90 minute walk a day, I do Pilates twice a week. I watch what I eat. I definitely stay on top of my health, obviously after having cancer because I actually had that tumor for nine years and it was stagnant. It was just the same size and then it started growing and that's when it became cancerous, and they had to take it out. So, I really do. I attack performing like it's an athletic sport because I'm up there by myself. I don't have an opener. It's an evening with that's how I've always done it. And I'm jumping around, I'm rolling around on the floor. I don't know what I'm going to say night after night. It's very improvisational, and you're right, it takes a lot of physical strength. I have a COB salad at five o'clock if I have an eight o'clock show. It gives me the protein. I try not to eat junk food on show days. Just a bunch of silly little things that I've been doing. I have a notebook that is so old timey. I have several of them now after all these decades, but I'll check out my comedy notebook and give myself little reminders throughout the day. It's all about leading up to the show."

The Canadian dates are part of the Just for Laughs Festival’s tours, something that was less likely to be a sponsor post-Trump debacle.

"Remember these are festivals that wouldn't touch me for six and a half years. I was too toxic. So, for me to get the JFL, that's a big stamp of approval for me to be part of these festivals. And they're not afraid. They just need to avoid the fucking Facebook page of a theater where all the crazies go, and that's where they go and attack me. And they love telling me, well, we got a Facebook comment about you. I'm like, yeah, no shit. Welcome to my world. Put the fucking lights on and turn on the mic."

Comedy is meant to make people think, to inspire, to forget problems for a night, and to entertain. That sometimes offends people, but Griffin says that’s their problem.

"Nobody can name one of the greats who didn't offend somebody. And yeah, there are clean comics. And trust me, there are many times when in my pre-Trump life when I'd be doing a corporate gig and I'd be bombing, and I could tell they were like, why is a woman even up there much less swearing so much and saying the shit she's saying? And trust me, I wish I was Jim Gaffigan at those moments. But that's how you learn and that's how you get better. I think there's a really cool evolution that's happening in standup where, and I think Anna Gatsby is responsible for part of this, where every second doesn't have to be a fucking knock, knock joke. Sometimes stuff takes a setup, sometimes stuff takes explanation. But what I think is cool, there's a responsibility to give the audience a unique experience. When you come see me, you're not going to hear the same jokes you would hear from anybody else because these are literally just stories from my life. And if a celebrity confronted me as happened at the Paris Hilton Party, of course one celebrity had to confront me. Then she's gone in the act. I'm like, bitch, you just walked into my act. And she just was like, oh, what? And I was like, yeah, you walked in. I don't even fucking know who you are. Her name is Biju Phillips. And she was married to that guy Danny Masterson, who's in prison for rape for 40 years. So, I'm like, honey, you had to pick me of all people to come and start shit with. So sometimes they just walk right in. That's all I can tell you."

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Contributor Jason Clevett |

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Locale Calgary |

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Person Kathy Griffin |

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Topic Celebrity Interview |

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