Kathy Griffin Shares Brave Story Of Personal Struggles And How She Attempted Suicide
In a candid interview airing tonight on ABC News’ Nightline, Kathy Griffin, the well-known comedian, reflected on a challenging period in her life, including a recent battle with lung cancer and her journey towards sobriety. Kathy, 60, revealed her diagnosis of lung cancer through social media on Monday morning, shedding light on her health struggles.
During the interview, she bravely discusses her mental health journey, addiction to prescription pills, and a suicide attempt she faced in 2020. She recounts the dark thoughts that consumed her mind during her battle with addiction, describing how she contemplated suicide as her addiction spiraled out of control.
“I started thinking about suicide more and more as I got into the pill addiction. And it became almost an obsessive thought. I started really convincing myself it was a good decision,” Kathy said to co-anchor Juju Chang.
Kathy shares the harrowing experience of preparing for her suicide attempt, detailing how she arranged her affairs and penned a note before deciding to overdose on pills.
As she shared, “I got my living revocable trust trust in order. I had all my ducks in a row. I wrote the note, the whole thing. And I just thought, ‘I’ll just take a bunch of pills, and I will just go to sleep.'”
However, with the support of her husband Randy Bick and medical intervention, Kathy sought treatment and embarked on a journey of recovery.
Her addiction, she explains, began innocently enough with a prescription for Provigil to combat excessive sleepiness. However, it escalated with subsequent prescriptions for Ambien and painkillers, particularly after facing backlash for a controversial photo shoot involving a replica of then-President Donald Trump’s severed head.
“To be honest, it really kicked into high-gear when the Trump thing happened,” Kathy reflects. “Prior to then, I’m going to say I was, like, dallying with a pill addiction in a way that wasn’t good. But then, after that happened [with Trump], I just thought, ‘Who cares?'”
Despite the challenges she faced, Kathy expresses gratitude for her newfound sobriety, recognizing it as an opportunity for a fresh start.
“I am so thrilled and grateful [that] at 60, I’m going to get a next chapter. That’s the thing everyone said wasn’t going to happen, [and it was something] I believed wasn’t going to happen. And even I thought, even if I do get a next chapter, what is that? Me sitting around and never working again? And no — I think, kind of, anything is possible,” she shared.
As Kathy undergoes surgery to remove the cancerous tumor in her lung, her representatives assure that the procedure was successful, offering a glimmer of hope amidst her health struggles.
