Kathy Griffin says she believes she has been informally shut out of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, and she is tying that claim to a larger complaint about who late-night television welcomes back.
The comedian posted an Instagram video saying she has not appeared on Fallon’s show since his earlier Late Night era.
Entertainment Weekly reported that Griffin described herself as possibly “banned,” “inappropriate,” or “too controversial,” while noting that shows usually do not directly tell a performer they are no longer welcome.
“They don’t usually tell you you’re banned,” Griffin said in the video, according to EW. “They just can’t seem to find room for you.”
Griffin Said She Has Not Been Invited Back in Years
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Griffin said she likes Fallon and that he was “always super nice” to her when she appeared during his Late Night years, according to Entertainment Weekly. Her issue is that The Tonight Show has not booked her since Fallon moved into the 11:35 p.m. slot in 2014.
Her last appearance on The Tonight Show franchise came in 2013, when Jay Leno was still hosting. Griffin said the issue is not that she received a formal notice from NBC, but that the show has not found room for her for more than a decade.
She Criticized Fallon for Hosting Conor McGregor
Variety reported that Griffin specifically objected to Fallon hosting Conor McGregor, calling the booking a mistake. McGregor appeared on the June 16 episode of The Tonight Show, after a 2024 civil case in Ireland in which a jury found him liable for assaulting Nikita Hand at a Dublin hotel in 2018. McGregor has denied wrongdoing and said after the verdict that he planned to appeal.
Griffin said the booking sent a damaging message to women and marginalized people. “I think the Fallon folks made a mistake by having Conor McGregor on,” she said, according to Entertainment Weekly.
She Also Brought Up Fallon’s 2016 Trump Interview
Griffin also compared the McGregor appearance to Fallon’s 2016 interview with Donald Trump, when the host tousled Trump’s hair during the presidential campaign.
“It kind of reminds me of when Fallon had Trump on and then he petted his hair,” Griffin said, according to Entertainment Weekly. She also criticized Saturday Night Live for having Trump host in 2015.
NBC Has Not Confirmed a Ban
Griffin’s “ban” claim has not been publicly confirmed by NBC, Fallon or The Tonight Show. Entertainment Weekly reported that it reached out to representatives for Fallon, NBC and the show for comment. Page Six reported that Griffin said bans are often informal, with shows simply no longer finding room for a guest.
Griffin wrote in the Instagram caption, “Fallon, what kind of message are we sending here?!” according to Entertainment Weekly.
The Comment Connects Back to Her 2017 Fallout
Griffin’s own career was heavily damaged in 2017 after she posed with a fake severed head resembling Trump. She apologized at the time and faced major professional fallout, including lost bookings and public backlash. Entertainment Weekly reported that Griffin has since revisited the controversy in her comedy and on her YouTube series, Talk Your Head Off.
Griffin has not disappeared from late-night television altogether. Entertainment Weekly noted that she appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! last year, even as she says The Tonight Show has not invited her back since Fallon became host.