Kathy Griffin has had a lot of bad weeks over the years. This one might top the list. The comedian says the beach house she was renting slid right off a cliff and into the Pacific Ocean. She wasn’t home at the time. She was out walking her pug, which may be the luckiest dog walk in Hollywood history.
According to Griffin, the ground under the house simply gave out. Coastal erosion has been a growing problem along parts of the California coast, and homes perched on bluffs are especially at risk after heavy rain.
By the time she got back, the house was gone. She says she lost everything inside. “I went out with the dog and came back to nothing,” she told fans in a video. “Just ocean.”
Griffin’s fans quickly set up an online fundraiser to help her get back on her feet. The page got plenty of shares and well-wishes. The final total, however, was less impressive. As of this week, it had raised just under $600.
For a comedian who once headlined big theaters and appeared on national television for years, that number raised a lot of eyebrows. Critics online were not kind about it.
Griffin’s career has had some dramatic ups and downs. She was one of the busiest comics in America for years, with TV specials, award-show gigs, and a long-running New Year’s Eve hosting job. Then a series of controversies cost her a lot of work and a lot of friends in the industry.
She has openly talked about feeling abandoned by people she once considered close. Some critics suggest the tiny fundraiser total is the result of years of feuds, insults, and burned bridges.
“You can’t spend twenty years roasting everybody and then expect a parade when you need help,” one commentator wrote. Griffin’s loyal supporters see it very differently. They say the internet is piling on a woman who just lost her home and almost everything she owns.
“It doesn’t matter if you like her comedy,” one fan wrote. “Nobody deserves to watch their house fall into the ocean.” Some said they planned to donate more once the page was shared more widely.
The incident also highlighted the very real danger of building on California’s cliffs. Experts have warned for years that erosion is speeding up, and that some coastal homes may not survive the next decade.
Renters are especially vulnerable because they often have no control over how the property is maintained and may not have insurance that covers their belongings.
“People see the view and forget the ground is moving,” one geologist said. In the middle of all the drama, there was one bit of good news. Griffin’s pug is safe, and by her account, is the reason she’s safe too.
Fans flooded her comments with photos of their own dogs, calling the pug a hero. It might be the only part of the story everybody agrees on. Griffin says she is staying with friends for now and figuring out her next steps. She plans to keep touring and joked that she’ll have plenty of new material.
Whether the fundraiser grows or not, the comedian seems determined to turn the disaster into a punchline. That has always been her style. Neighbors along the coast say several other homes nearby are also at risk, and local officials have warned residents to keep a close eye on cracks in the ground.
For a career built on saying the thing nobody else will say, a house falling into the ocean is either the lowest point yet or the setup for her best special.