Comedian Kathy Griffin has spoken out against Jimmy Fallon, saying she believes his choice of guests sends the wrong message. Griffin, who claims she hasn’t been invited on The Tonight Show for over a decade, criticised the host for interviewing Conor McGregor and also brought up his past interview with Donald Trump before the 2016 US presidential election.
Griffin said she does not know if she has officially been banned from the show, but believes she is no longer welcome because she is “inappropriate or too controversial.” She added that television shows rarely tell people directly that they are banned, but simply stop inviting them.
She believes giving Conor McGregor a platform was the wrong choice. Griffin argued that public figures should think carefully about the message they send through the guests they invite.
On Instagram, Kathy Griffin, on her Talk Your Head Off series, said, “I have not done the Jimmy Fallon show. I guess I’m banned from the Fallon Show or inappropriate or too controversial. I don’t even know when you’re banned from a show and if you guys know me, I’m banned from most of them here. They don’t usually tell you you’re banned. They just can’t seem to find room for you.”
“I do like Jimmy Fallon as I’ve met him a few times and when I used to do his Later Show, he was always super nice to me, but I do think it was a bad call for him to have convicted rapist Conor McGregor on the show. It just makes me think of Joe Rogan and then I get pissed off for those reasons. I think the Fallon folks made a mistake by having Conor on his show. 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 Griffin said Jimmy Fallon inviting Donald Trump onto his show also bothered her. She felt that Fallon treated Trump too casually during the interview.
She said she was unhappy when Lorne Michaels had Trump host Saturday Night Live while he was running for president. Griffin, who says she has faced many cancellations in her own career, added that she hopes the industry will make better decisions in the future.
She has often faced criticism and controversy during her career, so she is used to feeling like an outsider in Hollywood, the comedian added. During an interview with US Weekly in 2025, she said she is proud that she has continued working despite many challenges.
Griffin pointed out that she has performed in more comedy specials than any other comedian, which she sees as one of her biggest achievements.
She also said that when people criticise her or make things difficult, she becomes even more determined to keep going. Griffin added that the only thing she regrets from one of her past controversies is apologising, saying she now believes she should have stood by her actions.
