US comedian Kathy Griffin, 65, announced her relationship with a 22-year-old on social media just a day ago, to a frenzy of fan reaction.
But the joke is on us, as the controversial star has now taken to Instagram to reveal the hard launch was a ‘social experiment’ and she was never dating a 22-year-old man. Rather, the man in the photo she shared was her bodyguard.
In her initial post, she had shared a snap of her holding hands with a young man about to clamber inside a black car, with the caption: ‘He’s 22. Have at it, internet.’
And the internet did just that, with her comments section flooded with followers proclaiming they are ‘obsessed’, telling her to ‘get it girl’ and wider messages of encouragement to live her best life.
After commenting herself that she’s ‘dying at these comments’, she took to Instagram once more to reveal that it was all a ruse, or as she put it: ‘A social media sociological experiment’.
Confirming he was simply ‘helping her with security during my trip to NYC’. She explained that on Instagram she was flooded with support but on Threads it was a different story.
‘A whole lot more slut shaming, accusations of grooming and debates about how “gross” it would be for a 65-year-old woman to date a younger man.
She then went straight for all the high-profile older men who have ‘enjoyed’ age-gap relationships over the years.
‘Just ask Luke Wilson, 54, who just had a beautiful baby with his 24-year-old girlfriend or Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones, Harrison Ford and Calista Flockhart, Jay-Z and Beyonce… some of the most long-lasting beautiful relationships in my beloved (though ageist and sexist) industry,’ she added, calling the stunt ‘harmless fun’.
Her social experiment was met with more praise with user courtneyastodden declaring: ‘A Queen being a Queen.’
‘The double standard is real,’ mo.instagr shared.
ConnieMarieLynn went as far as to say: ‘I’m disappointed!! I was LOVING 22 for you!’
So there we have it. For the avoidance of doubt: No, Kathy Griffin is not dating a 22-year-old.
The stage and screen star is not shy about stirring the pot on social media. A few weeks ago, they blasted Jimmy Fallon and The Tonight Show for the decision to host UFC fighter Conor McGregor, who was found liable for rape last year.
She said: ‘I do think it was a bad call for him to have rapist Conor McGregor on… I think the Fallon folks made a mistake by having [him] on.
‘I think it sends yet another message to women and marginalised folks everywhere that we’re not equal and you can do anything to us and the perpetrators are still gonna be out there being glorified.’
Kathy further speculated that she had been banned from appearing on the show, especially since 2017, after she went viral for an image holding up President Trump’s severed head, which caused huge backlash.