Kathy Griffin Opens Up About Falling in Love With 23-Year-Old After Divorce

Kathy Griffin is opening up about an unexpected romance that came after her divorce.

In an essay for The Cut published Wednesday, December 31, the 65-year-old comedian revealed she “accidentally fell in love with a 23-year-old” after splitting from her most recent husband, Randy Bick.

“Because of his age, he didn’t have the usual sexism, misogyny, and biases that guys my age tend to have. He seemed to see me. I know that sounds really corny,” Griffin admitted. “Oh God, it sounds so lame! But I felt really comfortable with him, and I felt very content just hanging out.”

Despite the connection, Griffin acknowledged the romance “never could’ve lasted.”

“We both knew that. But it was nice to know that my heart could still feel like that in my 60s, and it was nice to have the universe show me a guy that I really got a kick out of but also respected. I thought he was smart. I thought he could roll in different worlds,” she wrote. “It sounds cliché, and maybe he was an old soul, but I don’t know, we just clicked. And that click thing? It doesn’t happen all that much. So even though there was a big age difference, I’m glad that we were able to capture it for a little while.”

Griffin also admitted the man was “too young” for her.

“He told me he never wanted to have kids and that he could be with me forever. And I was like, ‘You don’t know that. You’re 23. You have no idea,’” she recalled. “I just wouldn’t do that to him. I mean, when I was 23, I thought I knew a lot of s***, but I didn’t. So I had to set that dove free.”

And make no mistake—she says she truly felt love.

“He touched my heart. He came along at a time in my life where I was like, ‘Men suck, and there’s only bad ones, and why do I pick the worst ones?’ And then he appeared, and I was like, ‘Oh, OK, well, he’s cool, but it’s dumb, because he’s too young.’ We gave it a shot anyway, and we both went with it for a while, and then it came time to go,” Griffin explained. “He made me feel sexy and special and smart and funny. It had a lot of the elements of what I think would’ve made a real, lasting relationship. He hadn’t been banged around that much. He’s so young that he didn’t have this baggage. And I just knew that my baggage was gonna get in the way.”

Griffin, who was previously married to Matt Moline and briefly linked to Apple cofounder Steve Wozniak, said younger men have increasingly caught her attention.

“I haven’t been with a guy my age since I was in my 30s. I don’t know what it is, but my ex-husband was 18 years younger than me. Pretty much since then, I’ve only been asked out by younger guys. So I’m constantly called a cougar, but I don’t mind,” she shared. “I kind of am a cougar, which to me just means you have the freedom to choose the person that you want as opposed to the age bracket that society tells you is the only option for you.”