Kathleen Mary "Kathy" Griffin (born November 4, 1960) is an American writer, producer, actress, and television host. Born in Oak Park, Illinois, she moved to Los Angeles in 1978, where she studied drama at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute and became a member of the improvisational comedy troupe The Groundlings. In the 1990s, Griffin began performing and appeared as a guest star on several television shows. She achieved recognition in a supporting role on the NBC sitcom Suddenly Susan (1996–2000).Her Bravo reality show Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List (2005–2010) became a ratings hit for the network and earned her two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Reality Program. Griffin has released six albums, all of which received Grammy Award nominations. Her first album, For Your Consideration (2008), made her the first female performer in the comedian category to debut at the top of the Billboard Top Comedy Albums chart. In 2009, she released her autobiography Official Book Club Selection: A Memoir According to Kathy Griffin.
Griffin has taped numerous specials with HBO and Bravo. For the latter network, she has recorded 16 television specials, breaking the Guinness World record for the number of aired TV specials on any network, by any entertainer in the history of comedy. In 2011, she also became the first performer in the comedian category to have four televised specials in a year. Besides her TV career, she is an LGBT activist involved in causes such as same marriage and the repeal of "Don't ask, don't tell." She has also participated in two USO tours. Griffin is known for her conversational style and controversial statements on celebrities, religion. After being nominated for six years in a row for the Grammy, she won the award in 2014, becoming only the third woman to win in the same category as Lily Tomlin and Whoopi Goldberg.
