Kathy Griffin Makes Rare Comments About Her Late Brother Who She Says Was a ‘Pedophile’: ‘You Don't Get Over It'
- - Kathy Griffin Makes Rare Comments About Her Late Brother Who She Says Was a ‘Pedophile’: ‘You Don't Get Over It'
Angel SaundersDecember 30, 2025 at 2:08 AM
0
Michael Kovac/Getty
Kathy Griffin -
Kathy Griffin shares painful memories about her family and childhood
The actress and comedian claimed her eldest brother Kenneth was a pedophile
Kenneth has since died, but Griffin claimed she saw signs of trouble when she was just 10 years old
Kathy Griffin is opening up about disturbing allegations within her own family.
While remembering Rob Reiner, the 78-year-old acclaimed filmmaker who died on Dec. 14, after allegedly being killed by his son, the 65-year-old actress looked back on issues she and her parents faced due to allegedly having a pedophile as an immediate relative.
“I’m going to open up to you about something now that I haven’t really talked about since my first book [Official Book Club Selection: A Memoir According to Kathy Griffin], and when I talked about it, the rest of my family was very, very upset with me,” she said in a video shared to her YouTube channel.
Griffin explained that she is the youngest of five children, and her late parents, John and Maggie, were regularly seen on her former reality show, Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List.
Monica Schipper/Getty
Kathy Griffin at 60th Anniversary at The Improv on November 07, 2023 in Los Angeles, California.
“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.”
“I can just tell you it was heartbreaking watching my parents, John and Maggie, try to save him his whole life,” Griffin said.
She said she was always told that Kenneth’s problems started “in his teen years,” and while her mother used to cry and wonder where Kenneth’s behavior came from, the actress knew there was trouble early on.
“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 said, adding that Kenneth would allegedly push his ex-wife into the cold Chicago weather “naked” when he was done beating her.
The actress admitted that while many might wonder why her brother’s former wife chose to share her problems with a 10-year-old, Griffin didn’t question her sister-in-law’s decision at the time.
She added that the issues allegedly caused years of separation between her and her family.
After sharing her thoughts to YouTube, Griffin also shared an excerpt from the episode to Instagram.
“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 captioned the Reel.
She added, “I’m extremely grateful and relieved at the positive response the episode is receiving.”
“I had two other brothers. They’re awesome. One is deceased. One, my brother John and I are very close. He’s the only sibling I have left. This is — I’m not talking about my brother John or my brother Gary. I’m talking about my eldest brother Kenneth,” Griffin said.
Amanda Edwards/Getty
Kathy Griffin at the May Contain Nuts! A Night of Comedy Benefitting WeSPARK Cancer Support Center
Griffin said she learned "he was molesting one boy and one girl that she knew of. So for all the ways that the Trumpers used the word ‘pedo’ and all the stuff that we have learned about Jeffrey Epstein — Let me tell you something, having your oldest brother be a pedophile is something that you don’t ever grow out of,” she continued.
“You don’t get over it. I wanted to kill him because all I could think about were those children. And the expression ‘blood is thicker than water,’ was not true in my case. I didn’t give a f--- that he was my older brother. And I did not want to protect him.”
Many praised Griffin in the comments section for her choice to open up.
— sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
“More family members need to call out abuse instead of protecting predators. Thank you Kathy!” one person wrote.
Another commented, “Someone who puts children first over family, that is someone everyone should respect. Thank you Kathy.”
If you or someone you know needs mental health help, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.
If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”