Kathy Griffin Reveals Where She Stands After Severed Trump Head Photo Scandal

Nearly nine years after a single image upended her career, Kathy Griffin says she’s finally on the other side of cancellation and feeling vindicated. The comedian is opening up about the personal, professional, and emotional toll that followed her controversial Donald Trump photo, revealing how years of exile ultimately reshaped her career and confidence. Kathy Griffin, now 65, reflected on the aftermath of the 2017 controversy during a recent interview with WUSF, admitting she never expected public opinion to swing back in her favor.

In May 2017, Griffin sparked immediate and widespread backlash after sharing a photo in which she appeared holding a severed, bloodied head resembling President Donald Trump. The image was shot by photographer Tyler Shields and was intended as a piece of political satire.

The original backlash cost Griffin high-profile work, including her New Year’s Eve hosting gig on CNN alongside Anderson Cooper. Trump himself publicly condemned the photo at the time, tweeting, “Kathy Griffin should be ashamed of herself. My children, especially my 11-year-old son, Barron, are having a hard time with this. Sick!”

Griffin later issued a public apology, acknowledging the impact of the image, writing, “I sincerely apologize. I am just now seeing the reaction of these images. I crossed the line. I went way too far. The image is too disturbing. I understand how it offends people. I get it.”

Now, years later, she is opening up about the scandal once again.

“I think I’m uncanceled, which is a miracle to me because I didn’t think I would ever be uncanceled,” the Emmy-winning comic said in an interview with WUSF. The Oak Park, Illinois, native explained that the backlash didn’t just damage her reputation, but it halted her livelihood entirely.

According to Griffin, the fallout from the photo cost her nearly everything professionally, forcing her into a prolonged hiatus she never anticipated. “I didn’t work for seven years,” Griffin said, “and then when I went back on tour last time, which I made a special out of, which is free on YouTube, it’s called 'Kathy Griffin My Life on the PTSD List.'”

While she’s slowly rebuilt her career, Griffin acknowledged that the image remains inseparable from her public identity.

The photo continues to follow Griffin, but she says her perspective has evolved dramatically as Trump’s controversies have mounted. “People still define me by it,” Griffin said.

Now, she says she embraces that legacy rather than running from it. “Now, I really own it, and I absolutely lean into it, because I was right, and I was ahead of my time,” Griffin said. “And so, when I look at that picture now, I’m very proud of it, because I know Donald.”

Griffin revealed that her relationship with Trump long predated his presidency, making his reaction to the photo even more surreal. “I’ve known him since the ’90s,” Griffin said. “I’ve worked with him, and the fact that he came for me specifically was so bizarre.”

She even recalled Trump’s exaggerated reactions when they crossed paths during friendlier times. “Whenever I would see him in person, he would act like he was scared of me, and he would put four fingers up like a cross, and go, ‘Oh, here she comes. She’s gonna be tough on me. Don’t make fun of the hair,’” Griffin said.

Amid the chaos, Griffin said a call from Jim Carrey helped reframe the ordeal when she needed it most. “Even when horrible things were happening to me, I kept thinking of what Jim Carrey told me when he called me the day the [Trump] picture blew up, and he said most comedians would give their right arm for this to happen to them,” Griffin said.

She added, “I was crying, and Jim said, ‘Put it through your Kathy Griffin comedy prism, and something funny will come out of it.’”

When she finally returned to the stage, the reception surprised her. “And then when I finally went back on the road after seven years, it was fantastic. And I can’t believe how wonderful the audiences have been, every single audience. It’s like they’re embracing me.”