Kathy Griffin is in “a very different place” than she was “six months ago,” let alone five years ago.
The actress and comedian is finally finding her voice again in both her personal and professional career after undergoing surgery on her left vocal cord last month and upon making her triumphant return to comedy after years of being cancelled.
The 62-year-old is about to perform her first solo show in Las Vegas in six years, taking place on June 17 at The Mirage Theater.
In a new interview with People, Griffin got candid about the “really gnarly” procedure on her vocal cord, which was damaged roughly two years prior upon getting treated for lung cancer.
“They use a hook to open your mouth,” she explained, noting that doctors used general anesthesia on her “because there’s a freaking needle down my throat!
“And then they inject your little teeny meanie vocal cord with this substance,” she continued, noting that the needle also had a camera on it.
“Because my left cord is paralyzed, they actually inject this thing called Prolaryn Plus that’s like collagen,” she further explained, sharing that the injectable helps fatten the left vocal cord in order for it to meet the right vocal cord. Ultimately, the 15-minute procedure closes the vocal cords, producing a clearer voice.
“The thing that’s been really crazy and kind of like, a mindf**k, is that when I had cancer, I had no symptoms, then I got the surgery where they took out half my left lung. And now it’s like, I sound and feel like I have cancer,” Griffin opened up. “The thing that’s frustrating is I actually sound like I’m in pain, but I’m not.”
Although the procedure has already improved the actress’ speech, Griffin revealed that the chances of her getting her pre-cancer voice back are low.
“This surgery gave me more resonance. So the voice that I have now I’m actually quite happy with,” she admitted. “But they did tell me the prognosis is: It probably won’t ever get better than this.”
Moving forward, Griffin will have to undergo the same procedure every six months “because your body absorbs the substance,” she explained.
While addressing another struggle she’s faced in recent years — her Complex PTSD diagnosis — Griffin said she discovered “it’s so much more common than anybody would think.
“And luckily, we’re beyond the time when folks think PTSD is straight up just for combat veterans. And that was what I initially thought,” she said of the condition. “Luckily, that science has advanced so that it can include someone like me. I was having these panic attacks. And the way they took form in me is like non-stop vomiting.
“You know, when you’re barfing, you can’t go anywhere, you can’t do anything, you’re weak,” she said of her “crippling” anxiety, noting that she eventually came to terms with the fact that she can’t fight her PTSD and panic attacks alone.
“I have a team of people, I finally said, ‘I can’t do this myself.’ I need to have alternative remedies. I have to be in acceptance that this is my new reality. And this is my new voice. And so I’m doing this thing called EMDR [Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing treatment],” she told People.
“You go back to something traumatic, like let’s say it was my cancer diagnosis. But you work through it in a way where your brain can stop being stuck in the place of going: ‘Oh, my God, I’m gonna die. My career is over, my life is over. I have this horrible new voice that sounds like I’m on helium,” she explained how the treatment works. “Then you put it in a new place where you process it and go: ‘Hey, I got booked in Vegas. My career isn’t over.’”
As for what contributed to her PTSD, Griffin said her 2017 career fallout after posing for a photograph with a bloodied replica of former President Donald Trump’s head. She was fired from her annual CNN New Year’s Eve co-host job alongside Anderson Cooper and over 25 theatres cancelled her comedy shows.
READ MORE: Kathy Griffin Spent Easter Sunday Getting An MRI Following Lung Cancer Surgery
“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.
However, Griffin’s treatments are giving her hope for the future.
“I have not vomited in months. I haven’t had to cancel anything because of anxiety,” she shared.
As for her professional life, her upcoming Las Vegas show — that she’s calling “Kathy Griffin: My Life On The PTSD List” — is virtually sold out, “which is unbelievable to me,” Griffin said, noting that she hopes “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,” she gushed. “…That’s a very different place than I was even six months ago.
“I finally have my voice back,” Griffin said. “I’m a grateful, naughty comedian again!”
