Since the infamous Trump photo controversy in May 2017, Kathy Griffin has had an extremely challenging eight months full of lost jobs, lost friends, death threats, and federal investigations, but in a new profile for The Hollywood Reporter today titled “Kathy Griffin: Can a Comic in Exile Come Back?” the standup got candid about the experience, how she found supportive fans outside of the US, and how she’s beginning to make moves for a comeback here in the States. Pushing boundaries, playing with bad taste, and going in and out of the public spotlight have long been trademarks of Griffin’s career, and while she acknowledges the Trump photo took that approach to new heights, she’s not apologizing for it anymore: “I didn’t commit a crime. I didn’t rape anybody. I didn’t assault anybody. I didn’t get a DUI,” she told THR. “I mean, my God, there are celebrities that fucking kill people.”
Jimmy Kimmel also makes an appearance in the profile and revealed that he’s given Griffin an open invitation to appear on his ABC late night show:
Griffin seems a little surprised by the low-key reception; nowadays she’s accustomed to “gasps” when she enters a room (as happened at a recent funeral). She is all too aware that she’s trapped in the Hollywood equivalent of a gulag. But not everyone thinks it’s game over. “She didn’t hurt anyone,” says Jimmy Kimmel, who already has offered Griffin a spot on his show whenever she’s ready to talk. He’s predicting a comeback in her future. “She is one of the funniest people in the world,” he says. “She’ll be bigger than ever.”
As for Griffin’s thoughts on a comeback, she told THR it all comes down to one thing: “The minute I do something that makes money, they will all love me again. When I’m dead, I’ll be a legend. But not now.” Read the full piece over at THR.