Comedian Kathy Griffin disclosed Thursday that she spent a night in the hospital after complications from a colonoscopy, sharing the news with followers in an Instagram carousel post she labeled "a not so tech savvy update."
Griffin, 65, offered few medical details but confirmed she had been discharged and was recovering at home. The overnight stay marks the latest in a string of serious health episodes for the Emmy-winning comic, who has publicly battled lung cancer, prescription drug addiction, and a suicide attempt in recent years.
Page Six reported on the Instagram disclosure, which included a smiling selfie of Griffin alongside a brief written explanation.
In the first slide of her carousel post, Griffin wrote plainly about the hospital visit:
"I spent the night in the hospital because I had complications from my colonoscopy. I know, I know, very sexy but I am home now with the doggies where I belong."
The second slide featured a selfie captioned "A not so tech savvy update." Followers filled the comment section with well-wishes. One wrote, "Hope you're feeling better." Another said, "Glad you're okay! We need your wit and truth now more than ever!"
Griffin did not identify the hospital, describe the specific complications, or say whether she expects further treatment. No follow-up statement has surfaced since the post.
The colonoscopy scare is the latest chapter in a medical history Griffin has been unusually open about. She was diagnosed with lung cancer despite never having been a smoker, and surgeons removed half of her left lung. By December 2021, she announced she was "cancer-free."
The surgery changed her voice. Griffin has said it shifted dramatically, "I'm a good two octaves higher, I think... it's higher than Mariah Carey," she told audiences afterward.
Colonoscopy complications, while not common, are hardly unheard of among public figures. Amy Schumer previously described her own difficult experience with a colonoscopy, calling it a procedure that left her feeling far from normal.
Before the cancer fight, Griffin's personal struggles ran deeper. In a sit-down interview with ABC's "Nightline" that aired in August 2021, she detailed a prescription drug addiction and a 2020 suicide attempt in which she overdosed on pills. She described experiencing "obsessive" suicidal thoughts and said she had gone so far as to prepare a living revocable trust and write a note.
By the end of 2021, Griffin told followers she had been "over a year clean and drug free." The hospitalization for colonoscopy complications appears to be her first reported overnight hospital stay since those earlier crises.
Griffin's post was light on specifics, and several basic questions remain open. What complication sent her to the hospital? Was it a perforation, bleeding, or an adverse reaction to sedation? How long was she treated before discharge? None of that has been addressed publicly.
The exact date of the Thursday post and hospital stay is also unclear. Griffin has not indicated whether follow-up procedures or monitoring will be necessary.
For a woman who has survived lung cancer surgery, addiction, and a suicide attempt, one night in the hospital for a colonoscopy complication may register as a relatively minor setback. But the pattern matters. Griffin has faced a remarkable run of serious health events in a compressed span of years, and each new disclosure reminds the public how quickly routine medical procedures can turn into something more.
Whatever your opinion of Griffin's politics or comedy, a night in the hospital over a routine screening is a reminder that the procedure itself carries real risk, and that no amount of fame makes you immune to it.