Kathy Griffin
A brazen stand-up comic who turned celebrity gossip and her own messy life into a brutally honest, award-winning comedy brand.
Born 1960 (age 66)·American comedian and actress·Birthday: November 4·Baby Boomers
Biography
Kathy Griffin carved out a space in comedy that was entirely her own: the gleeful, scandal-loving insider who wasn't afraid to burn bridges. Emerging from the improv scene in Los Angeles, she first gained attention as a talking head on VH1's *I Love the...* series and through small acting roles. But her true breakthrough was the unvarnished, documentary-style reality show *Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List*, which followed her relentless hustle and sharp-tongued observations of Hollywood's pecking order. The show was a hit, winning Emmys and cementing her persona as a truth-teller in a town of publicists. Her stand-up specials became events built on detailed, caustic tales of celebrity encounters, delivered with the energy of your most gossipy friend. Griffin's career has been a rollercoaster of high-profile feuds, political controversy, and comebacks, defined by a refusal to be silenced or to play by the traditional rules of fame.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Kathy was born in 1960, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Kathy Was Born
The biggest hits of 1960
#1 Movie
Swiss Family Robinson
Best Picture
The Apartment
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Kathy's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1960Born
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1965Started school
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1973Became a teenager
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1976Could drive
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1978Could vote
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1981Turned 21
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1990Turned 30
Hubble Space Telescope launched; Germany reunifies
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.80/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Hold On" — Wilson PhillipsBest Picture: Dances with Wolves
2000Turned 40
Y2K passes without incident; contested Bush-Gore election
Gas: $1.51/galHome: $119,600Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Breathe" — Faith HillBest Picture: Gladiator
2010Turned 50
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
2020Turned 60
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
2026Age 66 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won two Primetime Emmy Awards for her reality series *Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List*.
- Has released multiple Grammy-nominated comedy albums, including 'For Your Consideration'.
- Hosted the CNN New Year's Eve broadcast alongside Anderson Cooper for a decade, bringing her irreverent style to the mainstream.
- Published a #1 New York Times bestselling memoir, 'Official Book Club Selection: A Memoir According to Kathy Griffin', in 2009.
Did You Know?
She was a regular panelist on the NBC late-night talk show *Late Night with Conan O'Brien* in its early years.
She performed her stand-up routine at the White House Correspondents' Dinner in 2007.
She holds the Guinness World Record for the most televised stand-up comedy specials by a comedian.
She briefly studied drama at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute.
“I'm not a lesbian. I'm not a drug addict. I'm not a shoplifter. My scandal is I'm a fame whore.”
