Kathy Griffin has shared deeply personal remarks about allegations involving her late eldest brother.
In a recent video posted to her YouTube channel, the 65-year-old comedian and actress described the impact the situation had on her and her family.
“I’m going to open up to you about something now that I haven’t really talked about since my first book, and when I talked about it, the rest of my family was very, very upset with me,” she said in the video.
Griffin, the youngest of five children, said her parents struggled for years trying to help her brother Kenneth, who she claimed battled addiction, violence, and undiagnosed mental illness before his death.
“Well, my eldest brother, Kenneth, who is now dead, thank God. He was a crack addict. He lived on the streets, was extremely violent,” she claimed.
The comedian continued, saying her sibling “probably had an undiagnosed mental illness that obviously did not go well with crack cocaine.”
Griffin alleged that warning signs were present early on and recalled disturbing accounts shared with her when she was just 10 years old.
“I will tell you that I remember from the age of 10, his first wife telling me and me alone, that he beat her so badly that it was almost inconceivable,” Griffin recalled. She added that Kenneth would allegedly push his ex-wife into the cold Chicago weather “naked” when he was done beating her.
According to Griffin, these issues created long-term emotional strain and distance within her family.
She went on to allege that she later learned her brother had molested at least two children. Griffin said the knowledge altered how she viewed familial loyalty, stating that she felt no obligation to protect him because of their blood relation.
“You don’t get over it,” Griffin said, adding that her anger stemmed from thinking about the children involved. She pointed out that her comments were not about her other siblings, one of whom she remains close to.
After the episode, Griffin shared a clip on Instagram, saying she did not expect to publicly discuss the subject but felt compelled to do so. She added that she has been relieved by the support from her viewers.