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Kathy Griffin Speaks On Her Documentary, "Kathy Griffin: Hell of a Story"
On May 30, 2017 an image of Griffin holding a mask that resembled the severed head of President Trump was released – the image went global and everything she had worked for in her life vanished overnight. "Kathy Griffin: Hell of a Story" is a film chronicling the unprecedented and historic story of an iconic American comedian overcoming a political and media takedown following the release of the controversial photo.
Video transcript
[MUSIC PLAYING]
RICKY CAMILLERI: Thanks, everybody. Welcome to BUILD. I am your host, Ricky Camilleri. Next guest is, in my opinion, an American icon from standup comedy to her "Life on the D-List", to ringing in the new year, to a photograph of a fake severed head that severed her career, to a, now, comeback tour and documentary. Man, Kathy Griffin has stories to tell. And, in her new documentary, she does just that. Let's take a look.
[VIDEO PLAYBACK]
- Ladies and gentlemen, Kathy Griffin!
- The image went viral, Kathy Griffin holding a bloodied likeness of President Donald Trump's head.
- The Secret Service says it can't afford to take any chances.
- Everybody's a hypocrite because everybody's imagined themselves, standing there with his head, at least half the country.
- It got so crazy. I really did start to think, I've got to make this funny.
It was a frigging mask with ketchup on it. Let's be very clear. This morning, I was woken up by the FBI. Guess who was on the MAGA bomber's target list? When I say I'm glad to be here, like, seriously, I was afraid.
First, my attorney, he said they're considering charging you with conspiracy to assassinate the President of the United States, which holds a lifetime sentence. You don't know that part, did you? The First Amendment is under attack, truly.
If you don't stand up, you get run over. I was detained at every single airport that I went to. I was held for six hours.
But, obviously, it's getting to me.
Now I'm on this mission to make sure that they never, ever are allowed to do to anyone else what they did to me, not anybody.
[CHEERING]
There is no situation that doesn't need comedy.
Oh, sorry about Trump. He's crazy. Fans everywhere.
I want to give you the tea. I'm opening the pot. I'm going to spill some right now. About a third of the death threats that came in the old-timey mail to my house had actual real return addresses.
[LAUGHTER]
When I would hand one of those to an FBI agent, and he goes like this, well, I will have an answer in three minutes.
[LAUGHTER]
It turns out there is such a thing as bad publicity.
[LAUGHTER]
I'm Kathy Griffin, and I never learn my lesson.
[CHEERING]
I died laughing. Now I hope you died. I'm quite sure this is from one of my aunts in Chicago. [LAUGHTER]
[END PLAYBACK]
RICKY CAMILLERI: Hey, everybody. Please welcome the indestructible Kathy Griffin.
[CHEERING]
KATHY GRIFFIN: Hello, everybody! Hello, AOL BUILD.
RICKY CAMILLERI: Hi, thank you so much for being here.
KATHY GRIFFIN: This is my second one, and I love it. It lives forever on the interweb, and I love it. Hello.
RICKY CAMILLERI: How are you?
KATHY GRIFFIN: I'm just fine, stronger than ever.
RICKY CAMILLERI: Yeah?
KATHY GRIFFIN: Yeah, still telling my dick jokes.
RICKY CAMILLERI: You know--
KATHY GRIFFIN: You know, making people laugh when I can.
RICKY CAMILLERI: I was telling you in the green room, one of the things that I loved about the standup special is that all standup specials start with the comedian, meandering around the green room--
KATHY GRIFFIN: Right.
RICKY CAMILLERI: --or whatever for 30 seconds--
KATHY GRIFFIN: Meeting celebrities--
RICKY CAMILLERI: --the they go on stage--
KATHY GRIFFIN: --getting out the limo--
RICKY CAMILLERI: Yeah, sort of showing--
KATHY GRIFFIN: [INAUDIBLE]
RICKY CAMILLERI: --showing what it's like backstage.
KATHY GRIFFIN: Right.
RICKY CAMILLERI: You start, within said 30 seconds, about a full 20-minute documentary about what you were going through post the severed-head incident.
KATHY GRIFFIN: Oh, yeah, and it is gritty and raw, kids. It was taken with what's called an iPhone, and I'm not sponsored by them. I'm just saying that the-- I was lucky enough to make the special. I had to fund it because, even though I hold the Guinness Book of World Records for more televised standup comedy specials than any comedian, male or female, living or dead, I still--
RICKY CAMILLERI: Is that-- that's true? Wow.
KATHY GRIFFIN: I still-- yes!
RICKY CAMILLERI: Congrats!
[CHEERING]
KATHY GRIFFIN: Yes!
RICKY CAMILLERI: That's amazing.
KATHY GRIFFIN: Because, you know, chicks aren't funny. So, of course, I had to just be an asshole and be like, I'm breaking the record. And so, if nothing else, I'm prolific. And yet I made this special, and, of course, nobody would talk to me or look at the 30-second reel. I'm so toxic. And, you know, I'm a very high ranking member of ISIS. I don't know if you're aware of that.
RICKY CAMILLERI: Can I ask you a question. Do you still feel toxic at this point? Do you still feel as if you're toxic? I mean--
KATHY GRIFFIN: I don't feel--
RICKY CAMILLERI: Just yesterday, the-- just last night, the president was chanting--
KATHY GRIFFIN: I'm sorry, who?
RICKY CAMILLERI: --send them back with--
KATHY GRIFFIN: The president?
RICKY CAMILLERI: Yeah.
KATHY GRIFFIN: Remember the time he tweeted that he was the President of the United States.
[LAUGHTER]
That shit sticks with me, OK? It's like when he called the wife Melanie. She is Melanie, now and forever. Sorry, dear.
RICKY CAMILLERI: No, that's all right. I'm just curious if you feel vindicated in some way because your incident was really at the beginning of his presidency--
KATHY GRIFFIN: Oh, yeah.
RICKY CAMILLERI: --where everybody was trying to say-- even people who didn't support him were trying to say, oh, give him the chance. And there was a few of us, myself included, like, no, he's going to fuck everything up.
KATHY GRIFFIN: [LAUGHS] Thank you.
RICKY CAMILLERI: Like, do not worry.
KATHY GRIFFIN: Thank you.
RICKY CAMILLERI: I mean, or be worried, but do not give him a chance.
KATHY GRIFFIN: Well, also, remember, I've known this fool, off and on, for 25 years.
RICKY CAMILLERI: Yeah.
KATHY GRIFFIN: You know, he actually hired me one time to roast them for an episode on "The Apprentice". So he knew my shtick very well. He could have called me if he was afraid I was going to decapitate him by sneaking into the White House with the sword, undetected.
Does anyone think this through? I don't think-- so, as far as the toxic thing, look, I'm all about the honesty as you can tell from the film. And the truth of the matter is, I don't have a single day of paid work ahead of me for the rest of my life. And that scares the shit out of me.
My inner Joan Rivers is like, huh. But, on the other hand, the last two years, I've actually been working my butt off. I did a tour around the world for the first time, meaning the picture that almost ruined me actually allowed me to tour countries, some non-English-speaking countries, that didn't know who I was except the crazy redhead from the picture.
And I got to do the show. And the show started out as two hours. By [? Reykjavik, ?] it was 3 hours and 40 minutes because things kept happening in the real news cycle. And, overseas, everywhere you go, they're so curious about like, how did we let this happen? And what the hell is going on? And what happened to the Great Experiment?
So telling the story, keeping it honest, once I started that way-- well, that's kind of been like my thing anyway, right? Like, I don't really know how to fake it, obviously, or I'd be working more.
But I was proud of the tour. It grossed $4.4 million. I talk about money a lot because, as a 58-year-old female, I feel like that's one of the hurdles we need to get over.
But I'm also going to be honest. I funded this film. I'm about 1 million bucks in the hole for it. But it's reinvesting in my business. And I think it was important to tell the parts of the story in the documentary that people may not know, like they can take your phone and your sim card at every single airport, no questions asked. They can take your passport.
RICKY CAMILLERI: [INAUDIBLE] put on a no-fly list at one point.
KATHY GRIFFIN: I was on the no-fly list for two months, so I couldn't work, unemployable, uninsurable. I don't think the president should make that decision about any of you. And I truly believe I was the test case, and I think somebody else is next. And we see it every day. I mean, we see it happening now around us, so--
RICKY CAMILLERI: The test case in the sense of like--
KATHY GRIFFIN: About what-- how far the president can go with an abuse of power. And, you know, this president is just different. I've been doing stand up for a long time, for decades.
And, you know, to have my 50-city tour cut off in a 12-hour cycle because TMZ was recording my tour cancelations due to death threats, show by show and real time. And then, you know, I've been told by two people at TMZ that Harvey Levin was speaking to the Trumps multiple times a week, and I'm like a blogger.
And then the Daily Beast wrote an article about it. And so I felt very vindicated. And then, you know, all these hit pieces were coming out about me and all the rags, you know, Kathy Griffin has lupus, like, things like that.
Well, then AMI flipped in the Mueller report, and, hopefully, David Pecker will go down-- and that's not even a pun-- David Pecker, and [? Dylan ?] Howard, and those fuckers because they also acquired not just the Enquirer, but-- allegedly because of Saudi money-- they now have, OK, Life and [? Style, ?] like, the magazines that, in Hollywood, they think are newspapers.
And so there was that kind of a deluge, too. So it was a personal issue. It goes on to this day in a way that I don't want any of you guys to have to go through. And that's one of the reasons I'm so loud about it.
I mean, to this day, I have my next door neighbor, and I bought a home, paid cash for it, $10.5 million cash. That's right, you heard me.
[APPLAUSE]
That's right because Suze Orman said, girlfriend, if you can't pay cash, you can't afford it. Approved. And, you know, I've worked my butt off. And I think more women should talk about that. I'm, obviously, a child of privilege, white privilege, but I'm not saying my parents were like Rockefellers. But, anyway, you know, and yet--
RICKY CAMILLERI: Light dig-- light dig, there?
KATHY GRIFFIN: Well, you know, I-- I don't know the Rockefellers. I've been to the center. But, anyway, you know, like, to this day, when I went to-- I got to go to Oxford University, which is not even in America.
I didn't go to college, can you tell? So I did my first commercial when I was 17. And I was invited after this to go to Oxford to give a speech about the First Amendment. And I got to-- had a driver dude from the airport to the hotel, and he said he was Moroccan.
So I immediately apologized for Trump. All right, I'm like, hey, sorry about the Trump thing. I know it's pretty bad about the asshole countries, you know.
And he said, he's the greatest president this world's ever seen. And I said, ah. And he said, I recognize you from the photo. And I was like, well, you know, anyway, Africa is a continent. He said it's a shithole country, but, well, it's a continent.
And he goes, well, if we were in Morocco, I could cut your tongue out right now. OK, and I'm thinking like, OK, stay focused. I texted my assistant, by the way, who was like a month on the job.
He's from the south, and he was, like, clutching his invisible pearls. Like, I don't know what's happening, but this is not good. And I'm like start filming.
And, you know, it was-- it was months ago. And I have a next door neighbor who invoked the president's name in a rant against me that's online. You can hear it. And he's the CEO of KB Homes, a Fortune 1000 publicly traded company.
And he got mad at me one night and yelled across the wall. And it was picked up by my Nest camera-- I got it at, like, Best Buy-- that I was a cunt and a bitch, and I was a bald dyke because I had shaved my head in solidarity with my sister who had passed away from cancer two days prior to that rant. And this guy is still suing me, and I'm the defendant. He and his wife are suing me and my boyfriend--
RICKY CAMILLERI: For what?
KATHY GRIFFIN: --for invasion of privacy because the Nest Cam picked him up screaming, you cunt. You bitch. You bald dyke. Yeah, I'm going to be loud and proud about sexism and misogyny and ageism. And it's just different this time, guys.
You know, I'm a 58-year-old woman. I've been touring the country. The tour I did prior to the one that was canceled was 80 cities in one year, the Kathy Griffin "Like a Boss" tour. I've been to the real America. Don't talk to me, Fox News, 80 cities.
And I've seen the Confederate flags on top of someone's garage and all that stuff. So, you know, I kind of know of what I speak. And I really believe in comedy and the healing power of comedy. And my style is out there. It's vulgar. It's not for everybody. I'm an acquired taste.
RICKY CAMILLERI: Well, I wonder if because you are an acquired taste-- I don't think you're that much of an acquired taste. I mean, I think people have always kind of loved you, maybe with the exception of the recent scandal, which, if they don't, fuck them. But I am kind of curious if you feel like you've sort of always, in some way, been an easy target--
KATHY GRIFFIN: Yeah.
RICKY CAMILLERI: --for especially the sexist mainstream, and--
KATHY GRIFFIN: Oh, I've been MeToo'd in time's up for decades.
RICKY CAMILLERI: Right.
KATHY GRIFFIN: Nobody cared.
RICKY CAMILLERI: And at this point--
KATHY GRIFFIN: And I'm not afraid to name names. Leslie Moonves is a piece of shit who deserves to go down. Jeff Zucker can suck my dick. He's such a coward. I mean, every time I see a picture of he and Trump, I'm like, won't you guys blow each other? I mean, they're so alike. I can't believe he runs a global news agency.
RICKY CAMILLERI: How are they alike?
KATHY GRIFFIN: This is a guy who put "Emeril" on the air, "Emeril," the sitcom, great idea, Jeff. You know, I mean, we're in a very different time. It's not ever [INAUDIBLE] anymore. And so I don't know why people are so afraid to state the obvious
RICKY CAMILLERI: Right. Do you feel, though, that with-- after you held the head up, I mean, that you were already an easy target and you were already, as you would call it, on the D-list, all the sudden--
KATHY GRIFFIN: Yes.
RICKY CAMILLERI: They're just-- you didn't think there would be a reaction, but he found something to punch down with.
KATHY GRIFFIN: Oh, yeah, he's-- I punch up. You know, I mean, when I make fun of Oprah, she's fine. She somehow has survived my jokes. I've made fun of the Kardashians and called them dirty whores for years. And they're just fine.
And, in fact, we're--
RICKY CAMILLERI: Billionaires, almost.
KATHY GRIFFIN: --actually friendly now. Well, they also lived on the other side of me, which, I have to tell you, was so fun to put in the film because living between the dude who's calling me a cunt and a bitch and then, on the other side, Kim and Kanye are like a dream. Like, they were super nice and respectful and friendly and stuff, so I gave you a little perspective. And--
RICKY CAMILLERI: I feel like Kanye would really like you.
KATHY GRIFFIN: I'm a free thinker.
RICKY CAMILLERI: Yeah.
KATHY GRIFFIN: I'm a free thinker. I call him Pablo, though, because he thinks he's Pablo Picasso sometimes. And he writes Pablo on the sleeves of his Yeezy. So, whenever I see him, like I saw him at Christmas eve, and I go, hey, Pabs. And he just hugged me, you know.
I just-- they're the least of my worries. And what was great is they were in feud with Taylor Swift. So, for once, I was the least of their worries, too, which was heaven. You know, I was like, great, a different beef.
And so, you know, I learned that the Kardashians, they have-- no, they don't worry me one bit. And, when you have the Trumpers that want to take in, what is it? They want to shoot me in the cunt with an AK, cut my head off, put my head up my cunt, and shoot me again. They're very consistent with how they want to kill me, very consistent.
RICKY CAMILLERI: Very generic, like--
KATHY GRIFFIN: Well, they have those meetings at the QAnon pizza parlors, where I do a lot of child trafficking with Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, yeah. And then we make pizza. It's all crazy. Somebody has to start talking about how crazy it is.
It's never been like this. I've done dick jokes during, you know, Reagan, W, Clinton, HW, you know, Obama. You know, it's never been an environment where-- you know, we've prided ourselves on being a country where you can speak truth to power.
RICKY CAMILLERI: Do you feel like it's never been an environment where you felt like you had to be political in your comedy as well? Because your comedy has never particularly been, you know, topical or political. It's generally been about--
KATHY GRIFFIN: Pop culture.
RICKY CAMILLERI: Yeah, exactly.
KATHY GRIFFIN: Guys I'm banging, my family, all the fun stuff.
RICKY CAMILLERI: Guys I'm banging. [LAUGHS]
KATHY GRIFFIN: Eh, yeah, I name names. But, yeah, you know, this threw me into the realm of political comedian, which I actually relish because I've always been a political junkie. You know, I mean, I was just raised in an Irish Catholic family in Chicago, where loud family, my dad was super duper intellectual, also wildly funny.
My mom was always super interested in news as well as movies. In those days, it was movies and television. And so our dinner table conversations, where we had Hamburger Helper. She was busy working. And our dinner conversations were always about, what was in the Trib? What was in the Times?
My brother worked for the attorney general's office. I-- my sister was a public school teacher. So, you know, in middle class. My father actually got a grant into the University of Chicago, and he couldn't go because it was the Depression era. And he had to take care of his mom.
And so it was one of those, you know-- we would have dinner maybe just once a week because everybody worked. But you kind of had to bring your A-game to the dinner table. Like, it wasn't acceptable to [? even ?] [? 10 ?] and not know, like, the latest scandal with this alderman and what Mayor Daley had done at the time.
And I'm honest. You know, I had a cousin that was a pedophile priest. And some of my relatives, you know, acted like he just kept moving from parish to parish for some reason. And I was like, a little kid, going, I think cousin Corky is gay.
You know. And they're like, oh, Kathleen, be quiet. And that's what started the trouble. And, you know, I had an uncle, Morris, who was a bagman. He was a dirty cop in Chicago. So let's stop acting like that's not happening. And we obviously have a situation with our police and law enforcement that even I have never seen with my White privilege in my lifetime.
But, you know, I had a bagman uncle, dirty Chicago cop. So it would be quite disingenuous for me to walk around going, I'm going to wear a flag pin and act like, you know, all law enforcement is perfect. They're not perfect, you know? And we have a lot of work to do. And racism is at a peak in my lifetime. Misogyny is worse than I've ever seen it.
You know, when I was a little girl and Joan Rivers finally got a shot at her own late night-- nightly network late night talker. People forget she was the last one. You know, Chelsea had a nightly show, but it was cable, right? Not since Joan. And I was so naive. I thought, OK, from now on she broke the glass ceiling. It's going to be 50/50. To this day, late night-- network nightly late night talkers, it's still guys.
RICKY CAMILLERI: Yeah. How do you think Joan would respond to this time that we're living in right now?
KATHY GRIFFIN: You know, it's interesting because she was--
RICKY CAMILLERI: She knew him. She had a--
KATHY GRIFFIN: She was very good friends of Blaine Trump, who I believe is his sister-in-law. And she did tell me one time, she said, never make an enemy of the Donald. He liked to be called the Donald. And you know, I will say that it's a generational issue, you know? Both Rickles and Joan, you know, would, sort of, every so often try to tell me to kind of calm down a little bit. Coming from those two was priceless, by the way. And yet--
RICKY CAMILLERI: I mean--
KATHY GRIFFIN: I would just tell that they were full of shit. I'd be like, what are you two talking about? And then they would tell me about, sort of, fights they had had. Like, Rickles would tell me about when Gregory Peck would step up to him and confront him and then he would just snap back at him and do a joke. And, you know, I think-- I don't think-- I don't know that Joan liked the Donald, but I know she, like, blamed Trump. And, you know, also, Joan had a lot of friends that were, as she would say, fa-fa-fa.
So she sort of had a little bit of a double-life. Like, her on-camera persona was the boas and the naughty talk and everything. And in real life she was, you know, highly literate, saw every single play. She took me on a trip to visit The Royals, because she rolled with Chuck and Camilla for real, for real. So one time, she said, oh, I'm going to Buckingham Palace and Windsor, do you want to go? I said, yes. Yes, I do. Yes, I do.
And so she was really able to walk a line. And so I don't know, because I can't-- you know, I can't-- I don't have a crystal ball. But my guess is that Joan would have maybe started not going for Trump, but I have a feeling after a while she wouldn't be able to stop herself. And I don't think she would fear him. No. I don't-- I don't think very much.
RICKY CAMILLERI: What was your relationship like with him prior to all of this, prior to the campaign?
KATHY GRIFFIN: I mean, he was the fool. I mean, I would run into-- this guy would show up at the opening of an envelope. And he's so full of shit when he says he doesn't want to be photographed with the Hollywood elite. This guy would-- I'm in more pictures with this asshole. And, you know, I would see him at everything. Like, one time I had to sit next to him for four hours at a Toast of Larry King. It was Larry's like 120th birthday party. I can't remember.
But anyway, and I'm in between the Donald and--
RICKY CAMILLERI: He's so old, Larry King.
KATHY GRIFFIN: Isn't he? It's like a miracle of modern science.
RICKY CAMILLERI: Any time I see a picture of him--
KATHY GRIFFIN: It's amazing.
RICKY CAMILLERI: And then I see him interviewing people for--
KATHY GRIFFIN: Yes.
RICKY CAMILLERI: Doing the same job that I do. And I'm like, I wouldn't be able to do this at 120 years old.
KATHY GRIFFIN: Because he started out during the radio days in Miami. So the old timers got the stuff. All my friends are like 90 and older. I'm kind of bored with you, frankly, because I like people 90 and above. They've got a lot more to say. No, but I do listen to them. And I do respect and all that stuff.
So I think-- you know, I think, when I would run into the Donald back in the day, he was just, honestly, like, I would call him the orange realtor. And he just was a clown. You know, and I remember-- I wish I had a picture of it. One time I did a gig with that [INAUDIBLE] golf course, I think it's called [INAUDIBLE] or whatever. And he had me host and literally roast him, but more importantly, the performer was Liza Minnelli.
And I just, being a gay man, I could not let my Liza alone at a golf course with the Donald. I was like, I'm there. And I remember I would just make fun of him all the time. And he doesn't listen to females at all. So you can kind of say anything to his face. It goes right over his nest. And I wish I had a picture of it.
Cause one time, I reach-- we were taking a picture of the Donald, Liza, and I, and I remember the feeling of his, like, gunt on my rib cage. That's a bad word. It means-- it means gut and cunt. Anyway, so it's a naughty-- bad kids-- I'm not a role model. But anyway, I remember seeing if he would notice. So I reached up and I touched his hair. You guys, he didn't even feel it.
It's like a hair you rock. It's like a structure. And then I did it a second time. And I couldn't really get in there. But I was fascinated by the fact that he couldn't even feel, like, someone poking his hair-- nest-- whatever that is. There were eggs in it.
RICKY CAMILLERI: What's so interesting about that story, though, is that your experience with him is that he was, even at that time, a sexist jerk.
KATHY GRIFFIN: Oh, yeah.
RICKY CAMILLERI: A total misogynist--
KATHY GRIFFIN: But I foolishly thought a harmless--
RICKY CAMILLERI: Yes, exactly.
KATHY GRIFFIN: I mean, I've been tussling with guys like this since the-- like I said, my first commercial when I was 17, stand-up, student films for free, guest spots in television shows, Emmys, a Grammy, none of it changed any of that stuff. So I've really tussled with a lot of these guys over the years. And that's why I've kind of learned there's really not a point in fearing them.
They're all-- you know, actually, ironically, no pun intended, Joan Rivers had this great expression, because we would talk about this executive or that executive. And sometimes I'd cry. And, you know, I'd get into a fight with Jeff Zucker, or one of my bosses. And, you know, I'd be tough, and I'd hang the phone up.
RICKY CAMILLERI: What would you get into fights with Jeff Zucker about?
KATHY GRIFFIN: Asking for a raise.
RICKY CAMILLERI: Right.
KATHY GRIFFIN: I was leaning in. Right, [? Sheryl? ?] Mark, Dorsey. I'm looking at all you criminals. And so-- well, I can't wait to run into Dorsey, that freak. Did you hear he's backing Tulsi Gabbard? I don't think so. OK? I want a female president. I'm not that desperate. All right. So anyway, I digress. So I--
RICKY CAMILLERI: Who's your candidate?
KATHY GRIFFIN: First of all, I'm just going to say, I'm all about the down ballot. So It's easy to get into the fun games of 2020, but guess what? Elections are not every four years or every two years. They are every year, people. And I think the down ballot candidates affect your daily life more so than the president. So I give the example--
RICKY CAMILLERI: Mmm.
KATHY GRIFFIN: Hold on. How about Kim Davis? Remember when she wouldn't marry the two boys?
RICKY CAMILLERI: Yes.
KATHY GRIFFIN: I'm sorry. I'm so used to gay guys. The two gentlemen who were getting married legally? That's an elected position. So guess what? Go on the Google machine for half an hour and do your research, learn about the judges, right? You go to the ballot, and you go, I don't know these judges. Well, you better learn, because they're really important.
And county supervisor, and obviously your local representatives, your Congress representatives, congressional and state as well. So I'm-- you know, I want a female president before I die, OK? I don't care if I'm on life support with a freaking tracheotomy and a feeding tube. I want a female president.
So I'm just so torn between Kamala and Elizabeth. I wish there could just be like a double presidency without a VP. I'm just-- I just think they're both amazing. Look, I also love Klobuchar, and I love Gillibrand. I just-- it makes me sad-- and I'm just going to say it-- that Bernie and Joe are polling so much higher-- God bless you.
Bernie and Joe are polling so much higher than these women. And I know that dog whistle. I know-- my little ears prick up. I know what that is. It's even women who are afraid to vote for women.
RICKY CAMILLERI: Oh, I've heard plenty of women say--
KATHY GRIFFIN: How about these white bitches that voted for Trump? I can't even talk to white bitches anymore.
RICKY CAMILLERI: I've heard liberal women say, like, I just-- I just don't think a woman could beat-- could beat Trump.
KATHY GRIFFIN: I've heard women say, what if she's on her period?
RICKY CAMILLERI: Yeah.
KATHY GRIFFIN: I mean, in this day and age.
RICKY CAMILLERI: I mean, I don't buy that shit at all, but--
KATHY GRIFFIN: Thank you. Thank you.
RICKY CAMILLERI: Yeah, I hear that. I've heard that, too.
KATHY GRIFFIN: Yeah. And I think, you know, Joe Biden was a great VP. I think he's a-- he's a little 2010 in the way he's thinking.
RICKY CAMILLERI: [INAUDIBLE] like 1983 maybe.
KATHY GRIFFIN: Yeah. And I-- you know, I remember the Anita Hill hearings. And he didn't really-- he like, you know what I mean. But I also just think--
RICKY CAMILLERI: Him as VP was so great, because all he had to do was step behind Barack, who would say something, and go, yeah!
KATHY GRIFFIN: This is some good shit, man. Like, this is a big fucking deal. Like, to me that was a great moment. But-- and you know, Bernie-- correct me if I'm wrong-- I don't believe Bernie's ever passed a bill. And I-- I don't like the Bernie bros. I'm sorry. They're like Trumpers. They come at me, and they threaten me in the same way. And I don't like-- that base, I don't like and I don't trust.
But I do want a female. We're so behind. It's about time. And we really have a great stable. So the right wing trying to convince us we're a mess is BS. We have an embarrassment of riches. Also, remember, the ones that don't win, they're going to return and be wonderful senators and congressmen.
You know, not Tom Steyer. But I'm just saying, the electeds are still good at their job. So-- and I do want someone progressive because I think that there's a fallacy that the squad is super far to the left and anyone who thinks [INAUDIBLE].
RICKY CAMILLERI: I don't get it at all. I've been-- I've been baffled this week at the rhetoric surrounding the squad. I do not get it.
KATHY GRIFFIN: OK. The people who are calling them socialists have never been to a socialist country. Seriously. They are not socialists. OK? And also, you know, look, I loved Bill Clinton as the president. My joke is, wouldn't want to be married to him. But, you know, he balanced the budget. But remember, Clinton was a centrist. Even Hillary-- my beloved Hillary-- is a centrist.
So I don't think of them as far left extremists at all. Medicare for all, woo, crazy. Even the Trumpers want it as long as it isn't called Obamacare. So I actually want the squad to add more people. Like, I'm hoping the squad becomes, like, six women, eight women. Like, I think the four of them are our hope. And I don't think they're the division in the party.
And if you think Nancy, my Nancy, doesn't know what she's doing, think again. Because what she does is whip votes. And she knows that even in our Democratic House, we don't have the votes to impeach. So we know it wouldn't pass in the Senate. She's got a plan.
RICKY CAMILLERI: I'm partially with you on that. I don't know if now is the time to debate--
KATHY GRIFFIN: OK, OK.
RICKY CAMILLERI: --Pelosi, but, you know, the rumor mill is that she is the one who exposed that-- all of that polling data about the squad to try to sort of limit their power within the House.
KATHY GRIFFIN: Well, I also would like to think she uses the squad to get the Katie Porter's-- look, I live in California. We've flipped 11 Republican seats. That's rough. And we still have that idiot Kevin McCarthy. What an embarrassment. But anyway--
RICKY CAMILLERI: And Duncan Hunter. Isn't-- or no, he's not.
KATHY GRIFFIN: Yes. He's was in--
RICKY CAMILLERI: Is he in California?
KATHY GRIFFIN: Yeah, but he just got-- I believe he just got indicted.
RICKY CAMILLERI: Right. But still--
KATHY GRIFFIN: You're welcome.
RICKY CAMILLERI: But still a congressman, I believe.
KATHY GRIFFIN: I'm going to double check.
RICKY CAMILLERI: Yeah. Could be wrong on that one.
KATHY GRIFFIN: I could be wrong. But I think that this squad has also been effective in taking the Dems that just flipped a seat, and we don't want to have those seats go Republican again next time. So I think that one of her plans, in my mind, is the squad is helping move the party more toward the left. And I still think where they are is where we should be.
It's long overdue that we should have Medicare for all. It's long overdue that their tenants are just, you know, talking to young women of all colors and saying, you are America, you are Americans. Somebody has to stand up and go, hey, Puerto Rico, you're America. OK? We can't have a president saying they're a shit-hole country, because he doesn't know it's part of America. He doesn't care. - It's-- he's-- as long as I've known him, he's been, like, aggressively stupid.
RICKY CAMILLERI: Yeah.
KATHY GRIFFIN: Like, he's not just--
RICKY CAMILLERI: Well, it's part of his brand.
KATHY GRIFFIN: He's like Britney, like, "Hit-Me-One-More-Time" stupid. Like-- and I love my Britney. God love her. She's doing the best she can. I'm just saying, not a Rhodes scholar.
RICKY CAMILLERI: Have you found that since the incident with the head that the, sort of, MAGA hatred, the death threats have calmed a little bit?
KATHY GRIFFIN: A little bit. I mean, this stuff is really ginning it all up again in a big way. And I now learn the machine. So it's Brad Parscale. It's-- you know, it's Kush. It's Don Jr. and Eric come at me all the time. Which is always funny when, like, these dimwit white guys who, like, think they're going to, like, step up to me comedically-- like, they're doing like knock-knock jokes on Twitter. It's really embarrassing. And I call them Eddie Munster and Date Rape.
And I say that with love, because it's hard for me to think that any sex with the Trump is consensual. But I'm very excited to hear about the Jeffrey Epstein list. And get-- let me say something, if there are guys on our team that are on that list, they're going down, motherfucker. Because that's how we roll. We own our shit. We get rid of our bad apples. And they don't. I mean, they're all Eva Braun.
RICKY CAMILLERI: What was the hardest part about doing this special?
KATHY GRIFFIN: I was fearful that it would never see the light of day. And the reason isn't even necessarily the comedy part, but, like I said, I want you guys to know, you know, you have to know your rights, for real. And to be put on the no-fly list, it can happen to any one of you tomorrow. And like I said, you think they can't take your phone to JFK, they took mine. You think they can't clone you sim card, they did that.
They can take your passport. They put you in a detention room. And you're not allowed to say a word. You're not allowed to ask. I've filed FOIAs. They've still locked everyone. I still don't know what was on my passport. But to be treated like a terrorist, I just want you guys to know, I didn't break the law, I didn't violate the First Amendment in any way.
Wait a minute, I sell first amendment t-shirts on KathyGriffin.com. I make tens of dollars a year for my merchandise. But, really, I wanted to sell them because people don't know the actual language. And God forbid any of you posted that photo, you shouldn't have to be interrogated by the US Attorney's Office and the Secret Service under oath.
And I don't know what my Bob Mueller is doing with his, like, voluntary, you can get me for an hour. I wasn't given that choice. It was right hand up under oath. The investigation started without any kind of a call, like all the guys who allegedly threatened the president. They all just got a call. Like, hey, Johnny Depp, are you serious? No, I was hammered. Not with me. It was-- you know, and as I talked about what they are considering charging me with is very, very serious.
RICKY CAMILLERI: I'm curious, do you ever-- I mean, because you bring up the t-shirts. And I think that you're absolutely sincere. But I'm wondering if you ever worry about being equated with the MAGA crowd, the MAGA grifters, who are basically building a brand off of the success of Trump. And I think there are grifters as well on the left who are building a brand off of how polarizing the president is. Do you ever worry about being equated with that, or is it just, you know, fuck it?
KATHY GRIFFIN: No, I don't care, because I really do believe it's shirts and skins. You know, I mean, I remember watching the Watergate hearings as a kid. And I cannot tell you, once again, as a 58 year old woman, I can't believe this is happening in my lifetime. Because even then, I mean, I was a little kid, but it was just the talk.
There were three networks. But I mean, everybody was concerned about, oh, my God, the republic could actually fail. The institutions may actually fail. Look at how-- what today is happening.
RICKY CAMILLERI: Yeah, they failed.
KATHY GRIFFIN: Right. And so people are worried about my photo, but you're OK with the dead man in the Rio Grande with his arm over his dead toddler? So I will say, as time passes, a lot more people come around and sort of express that, like, you know, in light of everything they've done. Your picture maybe wasn't so bad.
But there are still people that have gotten even farther, like you said. And so I think we have to fight fire with fire this time. I love Mrs. Obama. And she is right, when they go low, we should go high. But we can do that in a couple of years when we win.
We've got to play dirty for a while, guys. We're losing it all. And it's happening like that. And it's kind of-- it's frightening to me the apathy. You know, I get people that might be confused, or they maybe weren't engaged in the learning how, or maybe they like it, or maybe they don't, but you just can't afford to be apathetic. Because I am telling you, it happened to me. And you could be next.
RICKY CAMILLERI: I want to go to the audience for questions. But you have a list next to you, right?
KATHY GRIFFIN: I do. I'm so bad. So I'm trying to be modern. So kids, I have a text list. And you can text me at 312-584-3787. Although, most people are texting me going, this isn't even you. And I write them back going, no, no. It's me. And it's like I give, like, if I'm doing a show or something like that.
Or my email list is alerts@kathygriffin.com. And the reason I finally started that list is when-- I mean, I'm still, like, technically blacklisted. Although, I did a pop-up show last week, and an executive, female executive, from MGM came. And she goes, what? You can't get a job? We'd love to meet with you. So I have a big meeting next week with MGM. I know. Maybe I'll get a gig.
[CHEERING]
So sometimes being honest is worse.
RICKY CAMILLERI: What, like the MGM Grand?
KATHY GRIFFIN: Like-- oh, no, no. I'm still banned from the MGM Grand.
RICKY CAMILLERI: Oh, OK.
KATHY GRIFFIN: But they all made statements that day. You know Squatty Potty dropped me. I don't know if you heard about the-- yeah, I used to be the face of Squatty Potty. Anyway, so, yeah, I do believe--
RICKY CAMILLERI: How much money would you think you lost on that day-- like, that day?
KATHY GRIFFIN: I would say between the loss of income and then now, like, this extended civil suit with my next door neighbor, Jeffrey T. Mezger, the CEO of KB homes, and his wife Sandra.
RICKY CAMILLERI: What is KB homes?
KATHY GRIFFIN: It's a home builder. Like, they're like-- it's like-- you know, like, I guess they're one of those company-- they're nationwide, and, you know, they make homes. I don't know. I don't have one, but I've seen the website. Anyway, but, you know, because of that, honestly, it's in the hundreds of thousands, if not millions.
And I don't mean to be laissez-faire about money. And so the reason I talk about it is I literally am paying the price, but I also feel so strongly about it that I wanted-- you know, I had to fight so hard with a lot of dudes a lot of male executives saying no, no, the documentary stuff is too dark. And I said, just this one time. It's necessary. And there is a real message.
And hopefully you'll laugh more than cry if you see this film. And then, you know, the mailing list and the email list is really what sold out my drawer. So I had the promotion company, Live Nation-- and they're no fan of mine anymore, because they said, well, you can't sell 5-- more than 500 tickets anywhere. Well, when I played New York, I sold out Carnegie in 12 hours. And then I got pissed because I said, well, I want to play Radio City the next night. And they said no.
And so I sent a check for $250,000 to Radio City and rented it. And I played Radio City the night after Carnegie. And the audiences were fantastic.
[APPLAUSE]
Fantastic audiences.
RICKY CAMILLERI: Can I say, is there a silver lining in all of this in the sense that you are now in so many ways owning and completely responsible for your own-- for your own outcome and your occupation and it doesn't feel like you were at the whim of these executives in any way?
KATHY GRIFFIN: It's all about that. It's all about that. So learning to promote my own shows. Learning that if you alienate people, you-- even the president can't stop people from buying tickets to a comedy show. I bought back my library. I bought back my life on the D list. Nobody wants it, because I'm all scary and toxic.
But if anybody wants to buy it and pay me what a man would get paid, I have it. I have all my specials. I bought them back. And I've spent the last two years also buying back my library, because it's all about ownership. And a lot of women don't know that. That's where the real money is.
You know who has a bunch of money? The one executive who said, oh, "Friends" should be a good show, and probably took two meetings. He probably makes more money than, you know, Phoebe. And so people don't know that stuff. So I like to pull the curtain back and tell them what's really going on.
RICKY CAMILLERI: You mean the executive that just recently paid like $385 million to put "Friends" on Warner Media instead of Netflix?
KATHY GRIFFIN: Right. I'm just saying--
RICKY CAMILLERI: Which they already owned the content. They produced it.
KATHY GRIFFIN: So I actually like to be transparent and let people know, especially younger people, like, this is how the business work-- works. And, you know, one thing I've learned, frankly, from YouTubers is, a lot of the really successful YouTubers, I respect-- they just DM these companies and negotiate their own deals. I don't have an agent. Well, because no one will take me. But the point is, you know--
RICKY CAMILLERI: You've lost your agent as well?
KATHY GRIFFIN: Oh, yes. I don't have an agent. And, you know, I've made about $75 million over my career. And they were all happy to take the 10%. And now I'm toxic.
So I'm like, all right, I'll keep the money. You know, and I like making relationships. And I like dealing with, you know, the-- the check signers when I can. There aren't enough female ones yet. But I'm-- you know, like I said, I'm 58. If I was 28, I wouldn't have the balls to do this. I admit it.
But you know, when you've done 23 specials and two Grammys and an Emmy, one of only three women to win the Grammy for best comedy album out of the history of the Grammys-- you're welcome-- then-- but when I learned that, I looked at all these other-- I was like, three?
[APPLAUSE]
What? You know, so I say that stuff over and over, because I want you guys to go, really? Only three women have won? You know. And I think shining a light on that is what scares them. And now that I've been scared so much, I sort of had to learn what scares them. And what scares them the most is transparency.
RICKY CAMILLERI: Of course.
KATHY GRIFFIN: Honesty shining a light. And that's kind of what my comedy's always been.
RICKY CAMILLERI: Because most of them aren't smart.
KATHY GRIFFIN: Oh, my God.
RICKY CAMILLERI: It's the craziest thing that you learn when you get into media.
KATHY GRIFFIN: You think Donald Trump knows state capitals?
RICKY CAMILLERI: Yeah.
KATHY GRIFFIN: Like, I want him to go out on that "Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader." Sure. Like, I just want to see if he can do, like, a basic game show, you know?
RICKY CAMILLERI: When you first get into the industry, you're like, oh, well, they're are an executive, they must be--
KATHY GRIFFIN: They know everything.
RICKY CAMILLERI: --so smart. They must know this. It takes a few years to suddenly go, oh, they're just making this shit up as they go along. They have no idea.
KATHY GRIFFIN: I know, I know, I know.
RICKY CAMILLERI: If they were smart, they would be an entertainer, they would be a comedian, they would be in the street trying to make content.
KATHY GRIFFIN: They don't necessarily have the skill set. So I will say, you know, I do take pride in standing on stage and holding an audience's attention for two to three hours. And I love every minute of it. I do every show like it's my last, because it might be. And I-- I love it.
And also, I'm just a big believer in, like, really, really do what you love. Do what you love. And if you have to take punches, you do. I'm not to lie. It's hard. But if you love it, it's worth it.
RICKY CAMILLERI: I think we have time for a couple questions, or a few questions. Who has a question? Right here. Hi.
KATHY GRIFFIN: Hi.
- Hi, Kathy. My question is, how has the support from social media and social media influencers helped with your redemption arc?
KATHY GRIFFIN: It's really interesting, because social media-- I'm really split about it. Like, my online life is a cesspool. It's like robots, and the bot farms found me, you know, when I was a seedling. And so a lot of it is, like, broken English. Like, if you guys tweet something nice about me, I apologize. Because you're going to get like, ISIS lady be bad. Yeah, that's the most common one.
But on the other hand, like, Shane Dawson, who's a friend of mine, he decided to make a video about me. And God love him. It's got like-- I don't-- like, 15 million views or something. And he's someone that I had a lot of talks with. And he's a self-enterprising guy.
And Jeffree Star. And a lot of those YouTube kids, they call me mom, which I sort of like. And, you know, we learn from each other. And I think that's how it should be. And that's one of the things that I really take pride in, is, I'm not above advice. I take advice from young people, old people. You know, I'm not precious about that. I love to collab, as the kids say. Collab.
So, you know, I think social media is a double-edged sword, but I do think you guys need to be aware, in my opinion, if they are basically acting like a media company, they should be regulated like the media. I don't think it's right that Dorsey gets to let all those Nazis have free reign. I don't think it's right that Zuckerberg testifies before the Senate, and in my opinion, lies through his teeth, as does Sandberg, and acts like they don't know how to fix the bots.
I do believe. And I-- you know, if you follow Kara Swisher-- she's a brilliant writer for "Recode" and "The Verge" and "The New York Times--" she believes they can fix it. And if she says it, I believe it. So I think it's just-- just-- it's enjoy social media, but keep in the back of your mind, like, it really is a double-edged sword. Enjoy it, but it's OK to walk away from the comment section, you know?
But there's also some good stuff there, too. I mean, I read "The Washington Post" online. I get it. I don't do newspapers anymore. And sometimes social media, like a lot of the journals I follow, they'll lead me to a link to a real live article. And it's also important to educate yourself who the nut jobs are out there, because I don't expect you guys to know the Charlie Kirks, and the Cernovichs, and the Kesslers, and all those guys.
I have to know them now because they call me out by name, but I worry about you guys somehow getting into that soup, you know, where it's the QAnon crap, and-- oh, do you know the latest QAnon thing? Get this. They think that JFK Jr. is going to come back from the dead as a secret Republican and run as vice president with Trump in 2020. I can't talk to those people. I can't talk-- conversation ender. Conversation ender.
RICKY CAMILLERI: It's not-- because I haven't had to deal with them like you, I will say, the rise of the idiots because of Trump, like the QAnon, and the Cernovichs, and the Shapiros.
KATHY GRIFFIN: Right. And everybody is a pedophile, except now Jeffrey Epstein is filmed with a lot of those people. Haa.
RICKY CAMILLERI: Every now and then for me that has been the only, like, slight silver lining of the presidency, is that they are stupid. They are stupid to the point of it being kind of comical.
KATHY GRIFFIN: Yeah.
RICKY CAMILLERI: It's just unfortunate that they're dangerous in a lot of ways.
KATHY GRIFFIN: But they're dangerous. And that's the thing, is I want you guys to know, you know, my photo did not cause any harm. I do understand, you know, like, for example, when the film shows at Fathom-- Fathom took a chance on me. And it's going to show in 700 theaters across the United States on July 31st. I can't believe it.
And I'm going to do a live Q&A stream to the theaters with Ted Boutrous, who's a very accomplished First Amendment attorney. And he can really sort of do the heavy lifting of why yelling fire in a theater is a violation of the First Amendment, because people get trampled and killed. So that's different. What I did doesn't get anyone killed, besides that there's that whole history of imagery like that in the comedy world.
But that is something people really do have to relearn. I mean, honestly, that's-- I don't mean to push the merch again-- but having a t-shirt that has the verbiage of the First Amendment on it, it just may come in handy when someone thinks you actually-- you know, they've never read the Constitution, but they're telling you that you broke the law at the same time, you know, they're covering for the guy with the AK and with the pizza parlor. And it's just never-- it's never been this crazy and dangerous.
And I don't mind a little crazy. But, you know, like I said, I look-- you know, I think about the concentration camps, and that's what they are. They're concentration camps. And we have to say it, because we're still in a phrase-- a phase where, you know, WAPO is still kind of-- they said democracy dies in darkness. And I think that's great. But they're still afraid to say concentration camps.
That's what they are. People are dying there daily of all ages for no reason. And these are people that have never-- don't you love all the people that are afraid of the caravan in Pennsylvania? Oh, I've just come from Honduras, but I want to keep going all the way to Pennsylvania. You know, like-- so the insanity, but also the cruelty is something that can be a virus.
RICKY CAMILLERI: The point. Cruelty is the point.
KATHY GRIFFIN: It can be a virus. And I've seen it. Because I've seen people in my own life, in my own family, that I can't talk to anymore because they think I'm in ISIS. You guys, I have cousins who think I'm in ISIS. You know what I tell them? I go, I work at the gift shop for a week. I didn't. That's a joke. That is a joke.
RICKY CAMILLERI: I think we have time for one more question. Who's got the microphone and has the question? Right here. Hi.
- First and foremost, you look gorgeous.
KATHY GRIFFIN: Thank you.
- I love your outfit. It's amazing.
KATHY GRIFFIN: Oh.
- So you dominated the stand-up world and the acting world, but out of the two, which one was more challenging for you?
KATHY GRIFFIN: I-- I just-- I love stand-up the most because the more I do it, to not have any censorship. So I mean, I'm always going to love television. I would love a television gig, but I'm always going to tour. Because to be able to play, whether it's Carnegie, or, you know-- honey, I've played a raceino. You know what that is? It's a half racetrack, half casino.
You heard me. Who is your park raceino? And I took the check. And I was glad about it. Paid by [? illegal ?] bills. But having-- and the microphone went out and I had to use a bullhorn. Thank you. I know. You got to love it. But the freedom of stand-up, and especially now, and, you know, it's not necessarily 100% safe for women in stand-up right now.
So that's another reason I want to just keep saying it over and over and over, look out for each other. But I will say at this moment in time especially, an environment that gives you the freedom, whether if you're a writer, a painter, you know, that's such-- it's almost becoming this rare commodity. And when I meet my older friends that worked in television, you know, 30 years ago, they talk about television shows-- like, if you talk to Jim Brooks or something, and he said, you know, when they were doing "Taxi," nobody came and gave them notes, they just trusted the cast and the writers, and they did all these great shows and stuff.
So those days are over. Now it's all corporate. So I think it's good to walk through both worlds. And it's always good to know what's kind of going on in both worlds. But if you have an opportunity to be able to express yourself in a way where you can really go full bore, within the First Amendment, that I think is a special thing right at this moment, especially. Thank you.
RICKY CAMILLERI: I have to let you go pretty soon. But I want to ask you a very-- a silly thing before I let you go.
KATHY GRIFFIN: I love it.
RICKY CAMILLERI: Which is that, you know, I'm-- I'm a movie buff. I watch movies all the time. And one of the weirdest things about watching "Pulp Fiction" is that you appear in it.
KATHY GRIFFIN: I made that film.
RICKY CAMILLERI: It's so-- you're great in this--
KATHY GRIFFIN: My three lines won the Palm d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival.
RICKY CAMILLERI: No, you were so great in the three lines that you have, but it is a weird experience to be in the middle of that movie and go, fucking Kathy Griffin?
KATHY GRIFFIN: Right. Right.
RICKY CAMILLERI: What is she doing in this movie?
KATHY GRIFFIN: Oh, my God, it was heaven. So it was-- I was dating Quentin Tarantino. I never fucked him, but I dated him.
RICKY CAMILLERI: I can't imagined what the two of you dating was like. I don't think anybody got a word in edgewise, I would imagine.
KATHY GRIFFIN: Not a word. And yet, you know, I also love-- you know what we went to see one Saturday morning? "When Harry Met Sally." Like, people don't know he's got, like, a corny side.
RICKY CAMILLERI: Of course.
KATHY GRIFFIN: And I go-- I was hanging out with all of the comedy dorks, and they're like, oh, I'm not going to see that. And Quentin's like, I'll go. I was like, ha-ha, great. So it also-- like, he loved my dad, and my dad really liked-- it's a whole thing. But anyway, yeah, it was amazing to be on that set.
And like, I remember Bruce Willis was in his trailer. And he had like a whole gym in his trailer. And Ving Rhames, the great actor, and like, he was very much in character. And I had-- literally had three lines. And--
RICKY CAMILLERI: You're not the woman who gets shot in the leg, though, right?
KATHY GRIFFIN: No, that's an amazing stunt woman. And she's actually been Quentin's stuntwoman for, like, every film. But there's a scene where Bruce is driving the car and then Ving walks by, and Ving goes, motherfucker. And then Bruce takes off and knocks over Ving. And when Ving wakes up.
RICKY CAMILLERI: It's you.
KATHY GRIFFIN: He's looking at me and two other-- I was in "The Groundlings," which is a comedy troupe in LA.
RICKY CAMILLERI: You're actually in like a classic Quentin shot.
KATHY GRIFFIN: Right. Where we're looking down. And I say something like, I saw that guy. If you need somebody to testify in court, I will. He's right over there. Or whatever. And so I-- I-- you know, I've won a lot of film awards. I'm probably going to get the Irving Thalberg eventually, lifetime achievement.
RICKY CAMILLERI: Did you keep in touch with Quentin after that? Have you guys been friends?
KATHY GRIFFIN: Yes. I haven't talked to him lately. I haven't-- I don't, like, have his number or anything, but I-- I just-- I have an affection for him because, you know, one of the things-- this is a little bit off topic-- but one of the things I think he took a hit for that I actually respected was, when Black Lives Matter was starting, he gave a speech at one of the parks here in New York. And I'll never forget-- because he's such a natural writer-- he said, I cannot call that which is murder anything but murder. And he took a lot of heat because he was a white guy involving himself in Black Lives Matter. And that's a whole other issue with people that have a movement called Black Lives Matter.
I'm not sure what's offensive about that. Black Lives Matter. It's pretty straightforward. But anyway, he's-- he's a true artist. I think, you know, the Weinstein stuff kind of messed him up. And I think he has real regrets about that. And I'm not sticking up him. Also, fuck Weinstein. Like, if I ever see that motherfucker in person, I can't wait. That's not a threat. That's a verbal hello.
But the fact that that guy is at, like, cafes on Melrose, and I'm out of a gig. Give me a fucking break. But, you know, what I appreciate about Quentin is he's someone-- a rare, rare dude who took a chance on me. He put me in an episode of "ER" that he directed. He put me in "Four Rooms." And, you know, that's just a big deal. I'm not, like, a movie person, you know?
RICKY CAMILLERI: Is it weird, though, that you have this small part in "Pulp--" like, "Pulp Fiction" will live on forever.
KATHY GRIFFIN: Oh, yes! I mean-- I mean, that's like a fun social media thing. Where just once-- maybe once a month somebody will be like, ah, I think I saw you in "Pulp Fiction." I'm like, yes, that's my old nose. That's my old nose.
RICKY CAMILLERI: Kathy, it's been a delight talking to you.
KATHY GRIFFIN: My pleasure.
RICKY CAMILLERI: Thank you so much being here. The movie, a hell of a story. There are Fathom events that is happening. When is that?
KATHY GRIFFIN: Yes. Go to FathomEvents.com. Put my name in the search engine and your zip code, and the theaters it's showing up around you will pop up.
RICKY CAMILLERI: And I imagine people can find out where you're going to be touring, where you're going to be performing again anytime?
KATHY GRIFFIN: Well, as soon as I do.
RICKY CAMILLERI: Right. OK.
KATHY GRIFFIN: But I am doing three more film festivals. So tonight I'm doing-- Tina Brown is doing a Q&A with me after the 51 Fest. And then I'm going to do Out Fest for the gays under the stars at the Ford Theater in LA. And then I'm going to do the Michael Moore Traverse City, like, Political Film Fest. So that'll be August 1st. And then maybe some big fancy company will buy the movie and it could be seen globally. Fingers crossed. So wish me luck.
RICKY CAMILLERI: The one and only Kathy Griffin, everybody. Let's hear it.
KATHY GRIFFIN: Thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you.
[APPLAUSE]
[MUSIC PLAYING]
