Best known for her Bravo network reality series, My Life on the D-List, comedienne and actress Kathy Griffin was born Nov. 4, 1960, in Oak Park, Ill., to first generation Irish-American parents. The youngest of five, Griffin was imparted with a true gift for gab. In interviews, Griffin describes gab fests with the next-door neighbor. She would gossip about her family - even the "juicy parts" - and enjoy the reaction her stories evoked.
Griffin attended Catholic school and attributes harsh punishment in school as a reason for her opposition to organized religion. In high school, she was bit by the acting bug (though one could argue performance has always been a love). Her acting love caused friction at home. Griffin wanted to skip college to pursue acting. Her parents preferred she continue her education. Griffin won.
Becoming an Actress
After graduation, Griffin moved to Los Angeles (with her parents, who she convinced to make the move) to pursue her acting dream. There Griffin discovered The Groundlings, the legendary comedy improv group that spawned comedians like Phil Hartman and Lisa Kudrow. She launched her stand-up comedy career in her early 20s, as well.
Slowly, film and television opportunities opened for Griffin. She appeared as an extra in Pulp Fiction and the (much, much) lesser known Shakes the Clown. On TV, audiences could catch her appearances on shows like The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and The X-Files. But her big break was as a co-worker of Brooke Shields' title character in the NBC sit-com, Suddenly Susan.
After a string of popular comedy specials, the Bravo Network debuted Griffin's My Life on the D-List in 2005. The popular reality program, which followed Griffin's entertainment career for through 2010, drew a solid following. The show captured the emotional moments after Griffin's father passed away (her parents made regular appearances on the show) and her divorce.
Turning to Talk
In the midst of her reality show, Griffin became the de facto co-host of The View after Rosie O'Donnell left and before Whoopi Goldberg joined the program. Suggesting on The D-List that she wasn't hired as a new host on The View because the show didn't want to hire another "loose cannon" like O'Donnell, Griffin says she was banned from the program. She later was "un-banned" - only to be "re-banned" after an argument with Elisabeth Hasslebeck.
It's that style, a combination of non-conformist humor and an impatience for pompous celebrity behavior, that has gotten her in trouble with other talk shows and talk show hosts, as well. Griffin is famously banned from The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (so she says). She also makes infrequent visits to The Ellen DeGeneres Show, supposedly because the show can't risk her making fun of celebrities (the very heart of her comedy).
On the flipside, she makes regular appearances on Real Time and the Late Show. And she credits radio shock jock Howard Stern with helping her build a strong fan base.
The experiences - and her continued popularity as a "loose cannon" and cutting-edge comedienne - will come in handy when Griffin debuts her own talk show on Bravo. Title Kathy, the one-hour weekly talk show will include comedy monologues and celebrity interviews.
Fast Facts:
- Griffin endured a binge-eating disorder early in her life, brought on in part by loneliness after her older siblings moved out the family home.
- Was the woman who helps out the character Marcellus Wallace, played by Ving Rhames, after he's hit by a car in the movie Pulp Fiction.
- Was banned from appearing on CNN's New Year's Eve program after accidently using the "f-word." She was welcomed back in 2010 and 2011 (where she surprised Anderson Cooper by unexpectedly appearing in her underwear).
- Published her memoir, Official Book Club Selection: A Memoir According to Kathy Griffin, in 2009.
- Credits the character Rhoda from The Mary Tyler Moore Show as her inspiration and desire to be the sidekick.
- Is an outspoken supporter of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights.
