Kathy Griffin has walked back her controversial comedy set about the late Anna Nicole Smith.
“Anna Nicole Smith [was] one of the greatest beauties ever of any generation, and she was also very troubled,” Griffin, 64, said in a Wednesday, August 27, YouTube video. “As her career went on, she was very addicted to drugs [and] she overdosed.”
According to the comedian, she knew Smith “from putting her in my act” as a stand-up.
“I really loved her,” she recalled. “I was quite vicious to her in my act because she was always f***ed up. I went to her house for Christmas one time, and they filmed it because she used to have a show called The Anna Nicole Show on the E! channel. … I, of course, had real, genuine affection for Anna.”
Smith, who died in 2007 after a fatal overdose at the age of 39, invited Griffin and fellow comics Margaret Cho and Rip Taylor to film the holiday special alongside her friends and family.
“I didn’t know, one minute to the next, if she was going to hate me or not based on what I was saying in my act,” Griffin said. “Apologies for everything I ever said in the ‘90s and 2000s … It was a terrible time for women, so I was vicious to Anna. I also witnessed a lot of tough times with her.”
She continued, “When [Anna] was messed up, she could be nasty [and] she could be rough. I know in her heart she was so abused by the business.”
While Griffin claimed Smith was “a mess” during the party, she also acknowledged that the late model was an exemplary hostess.
“She was a really good cook [and] made the turkey from scratch. She made all the side dishes,” Griffin said. “I kept walking in the kitchen because I kept thinking, ‘I’m not going to really see Anna Nicole Smith basting a turkey and making the stuffing from scratch.’ … She was so sweet.”
Griffin also noted that Smith was “really, really sweet” when they last saw one another at the 2004 Billboard Music Awards.
“I was always nervous when I ran into her because, in these days, I was going to every award show,” Griffin said. “I think the last time I saw Anna was at one of those types of shows [when she introduced Kanye West]. … People were saying, ‘Oh my God, [she] couldn’t get through the copy.’ Then, other people were saying, She did it on purpose because she’s so smart.’”
Griffin, for her part, saw Smith walk off the stage after what she thought was a “bizarre” speech.
“She was with her entourage and they were leaving,” Griffin recalled. “She looked across the darkened backstage area, picked me out and just went, ‘Hi, Kathy.’ That was the last time I saw her, and I said, ‘Hi, honey.’ … I just have to say I loved her. I’m not a hater. Yes, I made fun of her … but I just have to say it means so much to me [in] that our last interaction, she wasn’t mad at me.”
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
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