Kathy Griffin claims she's banned from Jimmy Fallon's Tonight Show for being 'too controversial'
MALIBU, CALIFORNIA: Comedian Kathy Griffin has questioned her long absence from Jimmy Fallon's 'The Tonight Show,' claiming to have effectively been barred from appearing on the program for more than a decade.
In an Instagram video posted on Tuesday, June 30, she also criticized the show's recent guest choices and reflected on broader issues surrounding accountability in entertainment. This comes after Griffin also revisited past experiences on 'The View', sharing stories about former co-creator Barbara Walters and recalling a memorable on-air clash with Elisabeth Hasselbeck.
Kathy Griffin questions 'The Tonight Show' absence and criticizes Jimmy Fallon
Griffin claimed that the last appearance alongside Fallon came during his 'Late Night' tenure, before becoming the host of the program. "I have not done the Jimmy Fallon show since it was on at 12.30 Eastern and Pacific, so I guess I'm banned from the Fallon show, or inappropriate, or too controversial," she claimed.
She added that people are rarely told outright when they are banned from a show. "They just can't seem to find room for you," she said, joking that she is "banned from most of them." Although she noted that he was "always super nice to me" during her appearances between 2009 and 2014, she still criticized his tenure.
She specifically objected to him hosting Irish professional mixed martial artist Conor McGregor on the June 16 episode, saying it was "a bad call."
Conor McGregor of Ireland poses on the scale during the UFC 257 weigh-in at Etihad Arena on UFC Fight Island on January 22, 2021, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)Referring to the martial artist, she argued that featuring him "sends yet another message to women and marginalized folks everywhere that we're not equal and you can do anything to us, and the perpetrators are still going to be out there being glorified."
She also compared the situation to his 2016 interview with President Donald Trump, recalling that he ruffled his hair during the appearance. She said that moment "didn't sit well" with her and added that she also disliked Lorne Michaels inviting Trump to host 'Saturday Night Live.'
In the caption of her Instagram post, she wrote, "Fallon, what kind of message are we sending here?! And can we please save canceling people for the ones who actually deserve it?"
Kathy Griffin recalls 'The View' appearances and Barbara Walters stories
Her last appearance connected to The Tonight Show was in 2013, when actor Jay Leno was hosting the program. She has continued making late-night appearances elsewhere, including on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live' last year.
Griffin also revisited the fallout from her 2017 photo holding a replica of Trump's bloody severed head, recalling that he said she "should be ashamed of herself." She later stated, "I don't think I will have a career after this... [Trump] broke me. He broke me."
She has since joked about the controversy through her YouTube series, 'Talk Your Head Off.' She also reflected on her history with 'The View,' saying she had previously been banned from the daytime talk show several times.
In an interview with Page Six, she claimed that Walters, whom she described as "the late great" and someone she "adored," would kick her under the hot topics table during appearances. According to her, the kicks left bruises on her legs, which she proudly showed to friends afterward.
Griffin said she had often joked in her stand-up routines about being repeatedly banned and later invited back because of her relationship with Walters. She also discussed a viral 2010 exchange with former co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck, who confronted her on air over jokes she had made about the panel.
