Comedian Kathy Griffin is clearing the air after admitting she fabricated a claim about her cancer returning during an uncomfortable encounter with a driver, saying she used the lie to get out of a situation that felt unsafe.
Appearing on The View on April 24 to promote her New Face, New Tour, Griffin recounted a tense ride in Minneapolis where she said the driver made remarks she found offensive, including comments she described as anti-gay and racially insensitive.
As the situation escalated, Griffin said she improvised an exit strategy. “I just started making up a story to the driver,” she explained, adding that she invented a cousin who would pick her up instead.
Griffin, who was diagnosed with stage 1 lung cancer in 2021 despite never smoking, said the moment took a sharper turn when she escalated the lie. “And my cancer’s back!” she recalled telling the driver, before clarifying to the audience: “My cancer isn’t back, I just played that card.” The comment ultimately prompted the driver to pull over, allowing her to leave the vehicle.
The comedian underwent surgery in 2021 to remove half of her left lung and later announced she was cancer-free that same year. In previous interviews and social media posts, Griffin has also shared that doctors suggested her diagnosis may have been linked to radon exposure, a naturally occurring radioactive gas, and the second-leading cause of lung cancer in the United States after smoking.
During her appearance on The View, Griffin emphasized that the decision to lie came from discomfort and a desire to exit the situation quickly. “Sometimes you have to speak up,” she said. “It was very awkward. I felt, enough with the weird comments.”
She also described how the improvised story briefly unraveled when she and her tour manager pointed in different directions when asked where the fictional cousin lived.
Griffin ultimately left the scene and took an Uber to the airport, later reflecting on the moment as out of character but necessary under the circumstances.
