“It’s just funny because my neighbor, Gary Busey, has been caught masturbating at the park, pissing on the newsstand, and leaving a hit-and-run where, thank God, no one was hurt, and that guy can’t even seem to get a ticket," Griffin tells Westword. "But I have the Department of Justice trying to charge me with conspiracy to assassinate the president of the United States. I have to laugh at that. Maybe I shouldn’t.
"Maybe that’s my problem — I keep laughing at shit that’s actually scary, but I find that shit funny.”
Kathy Griffin brings My Life on the PTSD List to the Paramount Theatre in Denver.
Courtesy of Kathy Griffin
In true Griffin fashion, her latest tour, My Life on the PTSD List, brings that razor-sharp wit to the stage, blending her unfiltered take on personal trauma with a biting look at celebrity culture and politics. Griffin is thrilled to be back on the road and especially excited about her upcoming show on November 8 at the Paramount Theatre in Denver.
“This will be my first show post-election,” Griffin says. “Will we even have a definitive winner? We’re going to have to go through this together, Denver.”
The name of her tour is both a nod to her Emmy-winning series, My Life on the D-List, and a wry reflection on the trauma she’s endured. “I’m talking about my actual complex-PTSD diagnosis,” she shares, referencing the fallout from the 2017 Trump photo scandal that derailed her career. “After that, I became addicted to prescription pills, so I make fun of that, because if I’m not laughing, I’m crying.”
Her Denver show promises an unfiltered look at her ups and downs, from her lung cancer diagnosis to her struggles with addiction, a public divorce and the loss of her mother. In our conversation, days after her historic sixth Carnegie Hall performance on October 26, Griffin exudes confidence and pride in her achievement.
My Life on the PTSD List brings Kathy Griffin's razor-sharp wit to the stage in a show that blends her unfiltered take on personal trauma with a biting look at celebrity culture and politics.
Courtesy of Jen Rosenstein
“My performance at Carnegie Hall stands out as a milestone,” she says. "It was the most times a single female comic has played Carnegie, so that's a nice, prestigious record for the young ladies to hear coming up who want to have a little hope. Even though Joan Rivers would probably call me a dirty whore for breaking her record, which would make me laugh, I know she would be proud because we were close personal friends."
Griffin’s career spans decades, with highlights that include two Emmys for her hit Bravo series, a Grammy win for Best Comedy Album and countless television appearances on everything from Suddenly Susan to Glee. Her no-holds-barred comedy style has taken her to iconic venues around the world, from the Sydney Opera House to Madison Square Garden. But her latest tour is different. It’s not just standup; it’s a reckoning.
"The only reason I took time off from performing was because I have been blacklisted by my own industry," Griffin explains. “I never wanted to take time off, but I've been blacklisted like it was the fucking 1950s and they think I'm a Communist. Taking time off, like my mentor and dear friend Joan Rivers would say, is not in our bones."
The setback hasn’t diminished her love for standup, though, and now, with her vocal cords fully restored after a cancer-related injury, she’s back and ready to reclaim her space on stage. “I want to do a special first and foremost,” she says. “Now that I've got this show together, I'm working on making it tighter, which I've never done. Before, every show was so loosey-goosey that it was completely different from one week to the next. But this is a show with ups and downs; it has an arc and some serious moments, so I believe it would make an excellent filmed special."
Despite its name, the show is not all doom and gloom. As she puts it: "I talk about my PTSD, but I'm not trying to give my audience PSTD." Griffin is equally candid about lighter topics, regaling audiences with stories of celebrity encounters and mishaps.
“I have a great story about Sia and I going to Mexico, where everything went wrong,” she says with a laugh. “It was like Lucy and Ethel go to Mexico. So I do talk about serious stuff, but I sprinkle it with a lot of fun celebrity stuff. I don't want to traumatize my own audience." Still, Griffin is clear-eyed about the challenges she and other female comedians face.
"It's so much harder to be a female comic," Griffin says. "I tell the young ladies coming up, 'I'm not going to bullshit you; you're going to have to work ten times harder than the men.' Look at me; I’ve done twenty specials, so none of those boys are even close, but everyone's like, 'Matt Rife this, Matt Rife that,’ and that’s good for him. He can do crowd work but uses writers — allegedly — and I think that's cheating. And I love Dave Chappelle. I think he's a genius, but in three fucking specials in a row, he's mentioning trans people. Rather than attack an endangered community, my comedy punches up."
As for the election? Griffin is cautiously optimistic, hoping that her audience in Denver will be in the mood to celebrate.
“I’m obviously a big leftie,” she says, “but I don’t know what’s going to happen. I still fear that Trump will be re-elected.” Her hopes, however, rest with Vice President Kamala Harris, whom she regards as both "competent" and "inspiring."
For Griffin’s Denver show, fans can expect an intimate experience. “It’s just me for two solid hours,” she notes, emphasizing that there’s no opener and no warmup act. With her mix of celebrity stories, political commentary, and unfiltered observations, Griffin’s style is in a class of its own.
“I’m excited for my Denver show because, even if everyone in the audience doesn’t love Kamala Harris, they probably voted for her,” Griffin concludes. “It’ll be nice to not have to deal with the chaos of Trump. I’m looking forward to being there with the Denver folks going, ‘Okay, guys, see? We might finally be righting the ship; we might be back on track.’ I'm feeling hope and optimism. Let’s face it, Kamala could serve today. It’s like she’s getting younger every day. I want her hair and makeup. Not that she’s not a natural beauty, but I’m just saying, I don’t know what more you could possibly want out of a candidate, so I’m just hoping we’ll be celebrating President Kamala Harris.”
Kathy Griffin: My Life on the PTSD-List, Friday, November 8 at the Paramount Theatre, 1621 Glenarm Place. Tickets are $60 to $123. Learn more at kathygriffin.net.
