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Comedian Kathy Griffin gained political notoriety in 2017 after she “joked” about killing then-President Trump in a photo using a fake severed head of the former president.
The comedian, who is now 60, revealed she is battling stage one lung cancer.
In an interview with ABC News, Griffin revealed much more about her past.
Over the past four years, Griffin said her life spiraled after facing immense backlash for posing with a bloodied, severed fake head of then-President Trump.
Griffin struggled with pill addiction and thoughts of suicide after posting the picture in 2017.
“I thought, ‘Well, I don’t even drink… Big deal, I take a couple pills now and again, who doesn’t?’” she told ABC News.
“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.”
“I just felt there was impending doom,” she said. “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.”
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After an apology and a subsequent rescinding of that apology, Griffin embarked on the cheekily titled “Laugh Your Head Off” tour in 2017. She noted that it was around that time that she was introduced to pills, leading to a behind-the-scenes battle that would ultimately lead to a suicide attempt…
She was first prescribed Provigil by a doctor. That was soon followed by a prescription to Ambien to help her sleep followed by painkillers to help her manage various injuries. The star says that her dependence on pills “got out of control very rapidly.”
Her addiction quickly led to thoughts of suicide. She says that her life was dedicated to getting on stage and showing people how resilient she was. However, amid the immense backlash from the Trump photo, she revealed that she started to feel her critics were right and that there was no next chapter in her career or life.
TRENDING 👇 Transgender Weightlifter Loses at Olympics
New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard competed as the first transgender athlete in the Olympics.
Hubbard, who transitioned at age 35, competes against women in weightlifting. Hubbard, who is now 43, entered Olympic competition after eight years following the transition. Hubbard went through male puberty then qualified to joined New Zealand’s team in weightlifting and compete for gold.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) made its decision to allow transgender athletes to compete. “We have to pay tribute to her courage,” the IOC said. However, Hubbard quickly learned her fate at the Olympics. She failed in the women’s +87kg weightlifting.
Hubbard had three attempts. In the first attempt, the weightlifter tried to lift 120kg and failed. In the second attempt, Hubbard lifted a “very shaky” 125kg. One of the female commentators reportedly said it’s “very surprising that the questionable 125kg lift wasn’t challenged with an appeal.”
Hubbard failed to lift the 125kg on the third attempt which removed the weightlifter from the competition.
The IOC’s medical and science director — Dr. Richard Budgett — acknowledged that Hubbard competing in weightlifting was “large, difficult and complex,” Fox News reported. While transgender athletes are required to demonstrate that their testosterone level is below a specific measurement for at least 12 months prior to their first competition, serious questions remain whether decades of higher testosterone levels have already produced significant muscle growth and maturity, which give Hubbard an unfair advantage against her fellow female competitors.
