Kathy Griffin picks her favorite Minnesota politician — and the one she can no longer stand

Kathy Griffin knows what you want to hear. Within two minutes of a phone interview from her Malibu home, the comedian has brought up the 2017 photo of her posing with Donald Trump’s severed head, a picture that triggered protests, her being fired by CNN and landing on the no-fly list. She’s also not shy about diving deep on more recent challenges like the lung cancer that permanently altered her voice, a divorce and an addiction to pills that led to a suicide attempt. It’s that kind of frankness that fans can anticipate when she performs Friday at the Pantages Theatre.

Q: Is the storm over?

A: It’s the forever storm. Some of the hatred is mingled with misogyny and ageism. Male comedy right now is very different from where it was seven years ago. There’s the Joe Rogan-ism of America. My beloved Dave Chappelle makes anti-trans jokes and people think it’s cool. In my humble opinion, Trump-ism and COVID sent us back a couple centuries. I should be sold out in Minneapolis, but I have to grind out every ticket sale.

Q: People still haven’t gotten over that photo?

A: If you didn’t like it, OK. But do you think I should have been on the no-fly list? I was investigated by the same people who are looking into Diddy. I’m the only one who has had to go through this. Ron Funches, one of my favorite comics, said I’m Public Enemy No. 1 in comedy. I’m a 63-year-old senior citizen doing my little stories from town to town. I mean no harm.

Q: I hear you’ve been doing two-hour shows. Why strain your voice that much?

A: I’ve been known to do three hours. When the audience is with you, you lose track of time. I don’t have an opener. I don’t need one. I won’t just do 50 minutes with the help of a team of writers like Jerry Seinfeld does. I just want audiences to know that they’re free to take bathroom breaks.

Q: You’ve always done particularly well in Minneapolis. Any theories as to why?

A: One time I was selling so well in beautiful Minneapolis, at the height of “My Life on the D-List.” Our three shows sold so well, we tried to add a fourth, but couldn’t until three months later. I was so paranoid that the same people might show up that I wrote a completely different two-hour act. I think because I’m from Illinois, I have a kinship with Minneapolis. There’s a Midwestern common sense. Of course, not everywhere in Minnesota is Minneapolis. No shade, but if I’m going to play rural Minnesota, I‘d have to switch it up, just like my shows in Chicago would be different than the ones in Peoria. In Minneapolis, I can do more nervy stuff. I can be my proud, lefty, Commie, Kamala Harris-lovin’ self. And now that I get Tim Walz, I defy people to protest me.

Q: You’re still getting protesters?

A: There’s still people who show up with pictures of Joe Biden tied up and gagged, or lunatics that take their perfectly nice vehicles and plaster them with pictures of Trump as Rambo. Rambo? Really? But I have a feeling they’re not going to show up in Minneapolis.

Q: You’ve been open about your struggle with depression and your suicide attempt. What got you out of that funk?

A: Even in those low moments, I realized that someday, somehow I’ll find something funny in it. Humor has dug me out of every hole. When I tried to off myself, I was thinking that if I can’t do stand-up again, I don’t want to live. If I couldn’t do stand-up now, I would struggle with it, but I think I’d be OK-ish. There were a number of people who should have known better. I got crapped on by Al Franken. I was going to host two book events for him. He called me the day that photo came out and said, “What were you thinking? I can’t be seen with you.” I cried so hard. I couldn’t believe my ears.

Q: If Al called you now, would you make up with him?

A: Why would I? He should have been my biggest champion, but he hasn’t reached out to me since. He was a good legislator, but [Sen.] Tina Smith, [D-Minn.], doesn’t get the credit she deserves. She’s not whoring herself out on TV every five seconds. A big shoutout to Tina Smith.

Q: What makes you happy these days?

A: I have four dogs. I’ll be bringing at least one of them to Minneapolis. I lean more on them than I do on people. My friend Sia is unstoppable. Her music has helped me get through a divorce that’s kicking my ass. I like Pink. I like Taylor Swift the musician, but to be honest, I like Taylor Swift the feminist even better. I won’t turn away from a docuseries of any kind. I’m not a sports fan, but I’ve watched every single “30 for 30.”

Q: I know you still joke about being on the D-List, but you’ve got this nationwide tour and you’ll soon be playing Carnegie Hall. That doesn’t sound like the life of a D-Lister.

A: When I’ll be walking down the street in Minneapolis, someone is gong to say, “Hello, Miss Gifford.” It happens every day. Someone will call me Reba. Do you know how many autographs I’ve signed as Reba? I don’t even argue anymore. I just say, “Bless you.”

When: 8 p.m. Fri.

Where: Pantages Theatre, 710 Hennepin Av. S., Mpls.

Tickets: $59.50-$99.50. hennepinarts.org

The Minnesota Interview is a feature in which we dive deep into the personal side of public figures with special ties to our region and readers.