Comedian Kathy Griffin is setting the record straight after revealing she made up a story about her cancer returning during an uneasy moment with a driver, explaining she used it as a way to exit a situation that didn’t feel safe.
Speaking on The View on April 24 while promoting her New Face, New Tour, Griffin shared details of 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 things became more uncomfortable, Kathy Griffin said she quickly came up with a way to get out. “I just started making up a story to the driver,” she explained, adding that she told him a cousin was coming to pick her up.
The situation escalated when she took the lie even further. “And my cancer’s back!” she recalled saying, before clearing things up for the audience: “My cancer isn’t back, I just played that card.” That moment pushed the driver to pull over, giving her the chance to leave.
Griffin, who was diagnosed with stage 1 lung cancer in 2021 despite never smoking, underwent surgery that same year to remove half of her left lung and later confirmed she was cancer-free. She has also previously shared that doctors believe her diagnosis may have been linked to radon exposure—a naturally occurring radioactive gas and the second-leading cause of lung cancer in the U.S. after smoking.
During her appearance on The View, she stressed that the lie came from feeling uneasy and wanting to exit the situation fast. “Sometimes you have to speak up,” she said. “It was very awkward. I felt, enough with the weird comments.”
She also mentioned that the story almost fell apart when she and her tour manager pointed in different directions after being asked where the made-up cousin lived.
In the end, Griffin got out safely and took an Uber to the airport, later reflecting on the moment as out of character—but necessary given the situation.
