Kathy Griffin is one of those names that come to mind immediately when you think of accomplished women comedians. She’s an Emmy-winning comedian who has had a long, successful career in stand-up, TV hosting and acting. She’s also known for her unique comedic style which often involves poking fun at politics and pop culture figures. But how much has she been able to make from her career?
Kathy Griffin net worth is $42 million. Her varied income sources include stand-up performances, acting roles, hosting gigs, and book royalties.
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How Much Does Kathy Griffins Earn?
Until she was 36, she never earned more than $20,000 annually which was considerably less than her male colleagues.
However that changed and throughout the span of her lengthy career, Kathy approximates that she has earned more than $75 million from her various projects and ventures. In a 2018 interview, Griffin herself revealed her net worth to be approximately $32 million, largely based on the value of her real estate holdings.
Kathy Griffin is capable of commanding a significant sum for her performances and shows, due to her fame. Most prominently, she earns money from stand-up comedy acts. Additionally, Griffin has acquired a decent amount from her acting career in films and television programs.
She is also hired as a host and notably, Griffin initiated co-hosting CNN’s New Year’s Eve special in 2009-2017 which brought her around $80,000-$150,000 each time. Her contract was terminated following a scandalous photo shoot in 2017.
However, she made a comeback with “The Kathy Griffin Laugh Your Head Off” tour that turned out to be overwhelmingly successful, selling out sixteen countries and achieving a gross of $4.4 million–ultimately making her a powerful advocate for the First Amendment!
Since Suddenly Susan came out in 1996, Griffin has consistently made between $3-and-10 million per annum. When the photo was released, she was in the middle of a 50-city tour. She had finished 25 and the remaining 25 cities were canceled within 12 hours. Her stand-up rate starts at $50,000 a performance and can go up to $250,000.
It is estimated that she lost around $2 million due to the incident but then recouped it with the money earned from her tour which grossed an impressive amount of $4.4 million.
Kathy Griffin has also penned multiple books that have been New York Times bestsellers. Her first “Official Book Club Selection: A Memoir According to Kathy Griffin” was a #1 New York Times bestseller and sold about $2.4 million, and the second “Kathy Griffin’s Celebrity Run-Ins: My A-Z Index” made around $ 1.2 million.
In addition to that, she also earns money from endorsements and sponsorships. Griffin has endorsed products such as Dunkin’ Donuts coffee, Wheat Thins Crackers, Thomas’ English Muffins, and Home Depot.
Apart from these sources of income, Kathy Griffin also owns various properties which add a considerable amount to her wealth.
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Early Life
On November 4, 1960, in Oak Park, Illinois a new light shone brightly into the world: Kathleen Mary Griffin! She was raised among five siblings within the idyllic confines of the Chicago suburb. Her parents are first-generation Irish Americans, John Patric Griffin and Mary Griffin.
Tragically, Griffin has lost both her brother Gary and her sister Joyce to cancer. Kenny, her older brother, was addicted to drugs and abusive towards his sister Kathy. Seeking solace in musical theater, she took the lead roles in several productions such as “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” and “Fiddler on the Roof.”
When she was a senior, the passion and ambition to become a professional actor ignited in her after appearing in a Chicago White Sox commercial. She then got signed with multiple talent agencies based out of Chicago soon after that.
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Career Highlights
Kathy Griffin’s illustrious career began with her joining The Groundlings, an improvisational comedy troupe in Los Angeles. Kathy attended the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute where she This led to her taking the lead roles in numerous theatrical productions such as “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” and “Fiddler on the Roof.” In the 1990s, she started getting guest-starring roles on various TV shows. She also took part in Showtime’s “Medusa: Dare to Be Truthful” and made her television sitcom debut on “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.”
As if that wasn’t enough, she started her own reality show in 2005, titled “Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List,” which followed her pursuit of Hollywood fame. She then went on to host “The View” in 2007 and published her memoir, “Official Book Club Selection: A Memoir According to Kathy Griffin,” in 2009. It debuted at the top spot on the New York Times Best Seller List! Moreover, she co-hosted CNN’s New Year’s Eve broadcast with Anderson Cooper until 2017, when her contract was terminated.
Following this, she embarked on a world comedy tour, titled “Laugh Your Head Off,” and sold out multiple shows within minutes. She has also released several comedy albums, each of which received Grammy Award nominations. Finally, after six such nominations, Kathy won the Best Comedy Album Grammy in 2013 for her comedy album “Calm Down Gurrl”, putting her among the exclusive group of women to have won this category such as Lily Tomlin, Whoopi Goldberg, and Ellen DeGeneres.
Kathy Griffin’s sense of humor has been a source of controversy in the past. She received heavy backlash for her 2017 photoshoot with the decapitated head of President Trump, which resulted in her receiving death threats and losing various endorsement deals worth up $250,000. To make the matter worse, she was also investigated by the Secret Service. Despite all this, Kathy Griffin has bounced back with her latest comeback tour, “Kathy Griffin’s Laugh Your Head Off World Tour.” She continues to remain an inspiration to many aspiring female comics and entertainers who wish to make it big in Hollywood.
Most recently she starred in TBS “Search Party” where she had a recurring role as Liquorice Montague in season 5. And her documentary “A Hell of a Story” was released in 2020 on cable TV. In addition, she also continues to make cameos on herself on various popular shows like “Lopez”, “Crank Yankers”, and “You” among many others.
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Personal Life
Griffin married Matt Moline from Washington D.C in 2001., though the union dissipated in 2006. While appearing on “Larry King Live,” Griffin accused her former spouse of stealing $72,000 from her. After attending the 2007 Emmy Awards with Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, it was announced they were romantically linked in early 2008, though they had broken up by June of that same year.
On Howard Stern’s radio show, she made it public in 2011 that she was dating actor and former NFL practice-squad player Isaiah Mustafa. Additionally, Griffin was in a private relationship with a man who remains anonymous – except to say he had a “regular job” – until the messy breakup in 2012. It was later revealed that the mystery man was Griffin’s tour manager, who had appeared on several seasons of “My Life on the D List.” Following this, she began dating marketing executive Randy Bick in 2013, lasting until 2018. However, they reconciled in April 2019 and were married in January 2020, with comedian Lily Tomlin officiating their nuptials.
Kathy Griffins Real Estate
Kathy Griffin unloaded one of her homes, a five-bedroom abode in the Hollywood Hills in 2018, for $4.49 million – a million less than its original price tag and still more than the $2.85 she had paid for it a decade earlier.
From 2016 to 2020, she resided in a lavish 13,000 square-foot Bel Air estate which she had acquired for $10.85 million cash; her neighbors were Kim Kardashian and Kanye West. In September 2020, the mansion was listed for sale at $16 million and finally sold in December to Lilly Ghalichi, a reality TV star famous for “Shahs of Sunset” and owner of ‘Lilly Lashes’, a company that generates more than $15 million in annual revenue.
Moreover, at the time of her Bel Air sale, Kathy splurged on a newly-constructed contemporary Malibu mansion situated on two acres for $9 million.
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Conclusion
Kathy Griffin’s success and resilience in the entertainment industry are nothing short of remarkable. Her multiple Grammy awards and Emmy nominations, coupled with her impressive real estate portfolio, are a testament to her enduring talent and tenacity.
Kathy Griffin’s net worth stands at $ 42 million, which she has accumulated over the past four decades.
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