Kathy Griffin Talks Suicide Attempt, Dave Chappelle Controversy: ‘I Think Dave Is Just A Transphobic Guy’

Kathy Griffin spoke candidly about her suicide attempt in a new interview with the New York Times’ “Sway” podcast.

Griffin was famously criticized back in 2017 for posing for a photo with a bloodied replica of then-president Donald Trump’s decapitated head.

The snap got her fired from her annual New Year’s Eve CNN co-hosting job and numerous theatres cancelled her shows.

“I tried to kill myself, and ended up in the psych ward,” Griffin admitted.

“I think — well, look, I think that I’m probably an addictive person, you know. But you have to admit, it’s almost comical. I went in the hospital for pill addiction at 59 years old. Who the hell becomes a junkie in their late 50s? Me.”

She added of that time, “I didn’t know what to do with myself.

“I was just such a crazy workaholic, and all of a sudden, I had this time on my hands, and then I was depressed, and things just weren’t looking up. And then you fall into the ‘Life will be better for my husband without me around.’”

“I did a real detox,” the comedian said of her recovery. “I didn’t go to the fancy place, because of COVID, but it was an important process, and I love my meetings that I go to and all that stuff. I’m one of those corny, happy members.”

Elsewhere in the interview, Griffin spoke about the criticism Dave Chappelle has faced over the jokes he made in his Netflix special “The Closer”, which many said were transphobic.

“I love Dave, and I think he’s a genius,” Griffin, who has toured with Chappelle, pointed out. “I just think that he’s also transphobic.”

She told the podcast, “I think Dave is just a transphobic guy. I don’t think Dave is trans-bashing. I don’t think Dave is running around harming gays.

“I just think Dave is, like — once again, Dave’s like — look, he’s still just like a 51-year-old guy.

“I’m just saying, I think sometimes we attribute — whether if someone’s of colour because they’ve had a struggle, and they’ve been an oppressed minority — I think that’s what hurts so many of my trans friends, is they’re saying to me, ‘How can this guy be a Black guy whose — you know, his heart beats for George Floyd, as it should, but when it comes to us, he doesn’t even — he doesn’t get it. Like, he just keeps making a joke.'”

Griffin then chatted about the future of her comedy.

“Look, I’m just going to talk about the Kardashians, because I have an actual relationship with them, and they’re always doing something funny.

“But I think that when I hit the stage again, I’ll probably talk more about, like, believe it or not, there’s a lot of really funny stuff in recovery… I can talk about that.

“Pills are funny. You know, believe it or not, the cancer stuff is funny. Like, I know it sounds crazy, but like, I want to — COVID stuff — we’re all going through stuff. I want to talk about what we’re all in together, and then I want to pepper it with my silly — whatever celebrity thing I happen to be actually immersed in.”