Kathy Griffin, the comedian known for her show “Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List”, recently revealed that she has lung cancer, and that half of her left lung needs to be surgically removed. Now, the comedian opened up about her past and the rough times she dealt with.
In an interview with ABC News, Griffin recalled her past and talked about the time she was bullied and hated for the Donald Trump controversy. Apparently, Kathy had a photo shoot where she held a fake bloodied head that resembled the former President Donald Trump.
Although Griffin apologized for the incident, it took a toll on the comedian. Griffin told that it was around this time when she got involved with pills, which eventually led her to take her own life. She told, “I thought, ‘Well, I don’t even drink… Big deal, I take a couple pills now and again, who doesn’t?’ Also, my age was a big part of it. I mean, who bottoms out and tries to take their life at 59? It’s almost a joke, right, and by the way, someday, this will all be comedy.”
“Trust me… I was laughing to stay alive. And what I found is I felt like if I can’t make others laugh, then there’s no purpose for me to live. There’s no reason for me to live,” said Griffin.
According to the comedian, she was prescribed Provigil and Ambien by a doctor, but her dependence on the pills “got out of control very rapidly.” Among the suicidal thoughts, Griffin revealed that the backlash for her photo shoot made her feel that the critics were right and there was no next chapter in her career and life. “I just felt there was impending doom. I was already starting to think … it was time for me to go. And I was certainly being told by an awful lotta people it’s time for me to go,” Griffin told ABC News.
Griffin continued, “I mean, legit death threats with everything, from online, which is the Google pictures of the house, the address. I mean, folks showed up to my husband’s parents’ house… They tracked my sister down when she was dying of cancer in the hospital and called her … I picked up the call and heard it myself because I happened to be visiting her.”
However, Griffin managed to get out of that phase and considered seriously about recovery when she actually attempted to take her life, with a suicide note prepared. She finally sought medical help.
“Here’s the silver lining, I am so thrilled and grateful. I feel like, at 60, I’m gonna get a next chapter. That’s the thing everyone said wasn’t gonna happen. I believed [it] wasn’t gonna happen,” said Griffin.
