In a recent video shared on her YouTube channel, the 65-year-old comedian and actress reflected on her family’s struggles while also remembering filmmaker Rob Reiner, who died on Dec. 14 at age 78 after allegedly being killed by his son. The moment prompted Griffin to open up about long-suppressed experiences tied to her eldest brother, Kenneth.
“I’m going to open up to you about something now that I haven’t really talked about since my first book,” Griffin said, referencing Official Book Club Selection: A Memoir According to Kathy Griffin. She added that when she first discussed these issues publicly years ago, her family was deeply upset.
Griffin explained that she is the youngest of five children. Her late parents, John and Maggie Griffin, were familiar faces to fans from her former reality series Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List. According to Griffin, much of her family’s pain centered on Kenneth, who has since died.
“Well, my eldest brother, Kenneth, who is now dead, thank God,” she said bluntly. Griffin alleged that he struggled with crack cocaine addiction, lived on the streets, and was frequently violent. She also claimed he likely suffered from an undiagnosed mental illness.
“It was heartbreaking watching my parents try to save him his whole life,” she said, adding that she was told his problems began in his teenage years.
Griffin recalled disturbing conversations from her childhood, including allegations from Kenneth’s first wife. She claimed the woman told her—when Griffin was still young—that Kenneth had brutally beaten her. Griffin alleged that after assaults, her brother would sometimes force his wife outside into freezing Chicago weather while she was naked.
Looking back, Griffin said she never questioned why her sister-in-law confided in her at such a young age. She also acknowledged that these family issues caused long periods of distance between her and other relatives.
The most shocking revelation came when Griffin said she later learned her brother had allegedly molested two children—one boy and one girl.
“For all the ways people throw around the word ‘pedo,’ and after everything we’ve learned from cases like Jeffrey Epstein, let me tell you something,” Griffin said. “Having your oldest brother be a pedophile is something you don’t ever grow out of.”
“You don’t get over it,” she continued. “All I could think about were those children. I didn’t care that he was my brother. I did not want to protect him.”
Griffin emphasized that her comments were not about her other siblings. She said one brother has passed away, and that she remains very close to her surviving brother John. “I’m not talking about my brother John or my brother Gary,” she clarified. “I’m talking about my eldest brother Kenneth.”
After the episode aired, Griffin shared a clip on Instagram, writing, “I ended up discussing some things on my YouTube show this week that I did not think I would ever discuss. What can I tell you? Life happens.” She added that she was grateful and relieved by the overwhelmingly positive response.
Many viewers praised Griffin for speaking out rather than staying silent.
“More family members need to call out abuse instead of protecting predators,” one commenter wrote. Another added, “Putting children first over family is something everyone should respect.”
By choosing to speak openly, Griffin said she hopes to challenge the idea that loyalty to family should come at the expense of truth—and to encourage others to put victims first, no matter how difficult that choice may be.
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