Famed Redhead Kathy Griffin Is Nearly Unrecognizable As A Bleached Blond Bombshell

Comedian and actress Kathy Griffin is best known for her outspoken personality and television show "Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List," which earned her two Primetime Emmy Awards. Her signature red hair, summer 2023's hottest hue, has also garnered much attention. Kathy knows the ways to dye your hair red that work for any vibe, and from darker auburn tones to vibrant red and copper hues, she's made fiery appearances on red carpets throughout her career. In recent years, Kathy has also become quite the advocate and ally for the LGBTQIA+ community, but her image has changed in more ways than one. In March 2026, the comedian shocked fans when she announced that she had swapped her iconic red hair for blond.

After debuting the new hairdo on Instagram, fans couldn't tell whether Kathy had actually dyed her hair or opted for a wig instead. "Wig expansion!! I'm here for it!!" one person wrote. "What the hell is happening here?!???" another person commented. Kathy later confirmed that she had actually bleached her hair in an Instagram Reel. "Hi, you guys, it's Kathy Griffin, as a blond," the comedian announced, going on to encourage her followers to tune into her "Talk Your Head Off with Kathy Griffin" YouTube show, where she discusses her decision to go blond. At the end of the video, Kathy confirmed that her trip to the lighter side was permanent. "I actually dyed it, it's my real hair," she said.

In 2024, to honor her stand-up comedy show "My Life on the PTSD List," Kathy spoke on "i95" radio about her experience growing up as a redhead. "We are special people. We are sensitive people, we stand out in a crowd," she said, after thanking the host for sticking up for gingers. The comedian went on to discuss her years in Catholic school, where she was attacked by bullies and 'the nuns would just watch'. It seems Kathy's school years were difficult, but her negative experience changed her career for the better. "It made me the hardened, embittered, soft-hearted, one-and-a-half-lunged comedian I am today," she explained.

Making up under 2% of the world's population, Kathy isn't the only redhead who has faced criticism for her unique hair color. A 2014 study by a University College Cork undergraduate, Kevin O'Regan, found that a staggering 60.6% of males and 47.3% of females with red hair had been victims of 'some kind of discrimination in the past', all attributed to the color of their hair. Fortunately for Kathy, her time in the limelight has also brought some praise for her red hair. At 65 years old, the tables have turned for the comedian, and some fans have even expressed their disappointment about her ditching the orange. "Anyone can be a blonde, be a redhead," one person wrote under her Instagram post. "Yellow blonde is not your color babe," another commented.