Kathy Griffin Says She’ll Self-Finance a Special Based on Her ‘Laugh Your Head Off’ Tour

Comedian says that “none of the companies that are in the comedy special biz have come calling”

Kathy Griffin
Getty Images

If you want something done right — or even done at all — you have to do it yourself, eh, Kathy Griffin?

“My Life on the D-List” alum Griffin, who received widespread criticism last year after posing with what appeared to be the decapitated head of President Donald Trump, said Monday that she will finance a special based on her “Laugh Your Head Off” world tour herself.

The comedian tweeted Monday that the special will be filmed at a previously announced “super secret show” in Los Angeles at the end of October in an “intimate venue” holding “less than 500 people.”

“I have some news to share…Why am I doing a super intimate show in LA? Well, I decided to bite the bullet and I’m filming my current act, the same one I’ve taken across the world, for a special. Difference is, I’m filming this on my own and with my own money. Here’s why,” Griffin wrote.

“This is not the way I want to do it. I’d rather have a deal with @Netflix @Apple @HBO, but despite the fact that I hold the Guinness Book of World Record for the most televised comedy specials, none of the companies that are in the comedy special biz have come calling,” she added.

Griffin said that, since she kicked off the tour, she’s been asked daily about when a special based on the tour would be released and added, “I want to record my act for my fans.”

Griffin went on to say, “What happened to me with the Trump photo and the story I have to tell is an important part of my history as a comic and a woman.”

The comedian noted that she’d already lined up a director for the special, tweeting, “I’m hiring my own team to film this special. It’s my experience with filming comedy specials that has led me to hire one of the best directors/producers in the business, Troy Miller of @DakotaFilms. He and his team will film this special for me and my production company.”

As for where and when the special will be released, Griffin acknowledged, “I don’t know,” adding, “I don’t just want to put it on YouTube.”

She explained, “It may sit in a climate controlled vault for a while but maybe I’ll get lucky and get discovered by a 28-year-old gay executive at one of the networks. Who knows! Regardless, I want to thank all my fans for their love and support. For buying tickets and buying merch.”

Griffin suffered significant career fallout when the photo was released last year, including the loss of her gig as co-host of CNN’s annual New Year’s Eve coverage.

The comedian also said she had been the subject of a Secret Service investigation because of the photo.

Read Griffin’s announcement below.

Comments