Kathy Griffin undergoes vocal cord surgery as part of ‘cancer journey’

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109 shares, 170 points

Warning: graphic images ahead

Kathy Griffin gave fans an up close and very personal look at her vocal cords before undergoing surgery to save them.

The stand-up comedian TikToked her pre-op appointment in which her surgeon stuck a camera scope up her nose to get a closer look at the damaged cords.

“First step is the numbing spray. Then the scope goes up the nose, down into the vocal cords!” she explained with captions.

“As you can see, the left cord is paralyzed.”

The doctor then told her to make noises to test the cords, which Griffin described as “a mini vagina.”

a doctor putting a scope up kathy griffin's nose with a monitor showing her vocal cords in the background
She detailed her pre-op appointment with a graphic TikTok video.
kathygriffin/TikTok

Griffin, 62, then skipped forward to lying in a recovery bed after the surgery, which she said she had to undergo in order to be ready for her Las Vegas show this summer.

“This is just part of my recovery post-lung cancer surgery,” she shared. “I’m cancer-free, so anyway a little scratchy today, but I’ll be in good shape.”

The “My Life on the D-List” alum had part of her lung removed in 2021 after being diagnosed with lung cancer. Four months after her surgery, Griffin declared she was cancer-free.

a close-up look at vocal cords with a caption that reads, "yes i know my vocal cords look like a mini vagina. deal with it."
The former “Fashion Police” co-host maintained her sense of humor during the invasive exam.
kathygriffin/TikTok

Although she remains in remission, the former “Fashion Police” co-host continuously goes for scans — and one of them took place on Easter this year.

“Happy Easter???” she captioned the Instagram post at the time. “Getting an MRI.”


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She later revealed that she was diagnosed with “complex PTSD.”

“Let’s talk about PTSD. Never talked about it publicly,” she began her video.

“You can laugh or whatever, but I’ve been diagnosed with complex PTSD, and it’s called an extreme case.”

Winking at the camera, Griffin explained` that her issues began about five and a half years ago, around the same time she posed for a photo holding a replica of former President Donald Trump’s severed head.

kathy griffin sitting at a restaurant table appearing serious
She’s been cancer-free since she had part of her lung removed two years ago.
kathygriffin/TikTok

The artistic decision cost her almost everything in her career. CNN fired her from co-hosting its annual New Year’s Eve special that year and she lost out on numerous other comedy gigs.

Griffin also said her cancer diagnosis “didn’t help” with her mental health. She turned to her friend and musician Sia for advice about therapies in addition to prescription medication.

“She recommended a really good doctor,” Griffin said.


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