The 63-year-old comedian recently underwent vocal cord surgery and shares her progress, saying she's 'grateful' to have 'this much voice' while preparing for her upcoming fall shows.
- Jun 19, 2024
AceShowbiz - Kathy Griffin is on the mend! One week after the 63-year-old comedian underwent vocal cord surgery, she took to TikTok to take fans along on her visit to the doctor. In the video, the doctor looked at Griffin's vocal cords through a scope, before prompting the comedian to make a noise.
Griffin did so, before the doctor asked her if there's anything she'd like to say. "Hello, how are you doing?" Griffin responded. "This is as loud as I can speak right now, but I'm grateful to have this much voice!" The doctor challenged Griffin to speak louder next, and she did just that. "Hello, everybody! I have this much voice now," Griffin said. "I'm getting better!"
The doctor remarked that Griffin's voice is "still a little raspy" in the wake of her surgery but assured the patient that it will "get better with time." The video ended with the doctor telling Griffin, "It's going to take time. Remember it's going to be up and down." In the caption of her post, Griffin wrote, "It's been 1 week since my surgery and to say the least, I'm very happy. I'm following all of the doctor's orders and staying quiet (even tho [sic] I'm a chatty Kathy). Now it's time to recover for my fall shows."
Griffin, who is currently going through a divorce from Randy Bick, will kick off her fall shows on August 23 at the District Music Hall in Norwalk, Connecticut. Earlier this month, Griffin revealed that she'd be having surgery to get an implant in her left vocal cord, "which was left permanently paralyzed during my lung cancer surgery, where they took out half my left lung." She added, "I also have an aperture, which is a tear above my vocal cords and that's why sometimes when I'm doing stand-up my voice goes to a higher pitch."
"After her surgery, Griffin told her fans that it "went well," and noted that undergoing it, and the required two weeks of silence after the fact, "will be worth it if I get some of my voice back."
This isn't Griffin's first surgery on her vocal cords. In June 2023, Griffin underwent vocal cord surgery as part of her recovery from lung cancer, which she was diagnosed with in 2021. Vocal cord damage has been one of the ongoing challenges Griffin has faced since the surgery for her lung cancer. Speaking to PEOPLE, she disclosed, "The thing that's been really crazy and kind of like, a mindf**k, is that when I had cancer, I had no symptoms, then I got the surgery where they took out half my left lung. And now it's like, I sound and feel like I have cancer."
The Emmy-winning star's "My Life on the PTSD-List" tour is expected to resume on August 23 at Connecticut's District Music Hall. Despite the physical and emotional struggles, Griffin's resilience shines through, affirming her commitment to making her voice better and returning to her fans with renewed vigor.
