NEWSKathy Griffin Claims Barbara Walters Left Her Bruised After Kicking Her Under the Table, Jokes Late 'The View' Host Was 'Heavily Into BDSM'
Kathy Griffin claimed she was left with bruises after Barbara Walters kicked her under the table while co-hosting 'The View.'
June 24 2026, Updated 5:46 p.m. ET
Kathy Griffin dropped a behind-the-scenes tidbit about her time on The View, and how she'd leave the daytime talk show with bruises thanks to late co-host Barbara Walters.
"Barbara Walters, the late, great who I adore, did not care for me," Griffin, 65, admitted during an appearance on Page Six Radio on Tuesday, June 23.
Kathy Griffin Recalled Barbara Walters Leaving Her With Bruises
Kathy Griffin was 'proud' of the bruises she received from Barbara Walters.
During a particular tense moment during the show's signature Hot Topics segment, Griffin said Walters, who died in 2023, "kicked her under the table."
"I used to leave that show with bruises, but proud of them," she admitted. "I would show my friends. I'd be like, 'You guys, I have to show you a bruise.'"
Kathy Griffin Joked Barbara Walters Was 'Heavily Into BDSM'
Kathy Griffin has spoken out several times in the past about her relationship with Barbara Walters.
The comedian jokingly suggested that Walters was "heavily into BDSM."
Griffin's history with the show dates back to the mid-2000's, starting in 2007 when she briefly stepped in as a guest co-host following Rosie O'Donnell's departure.
The Shrek Forever After star has openly talked about her tense relationship with Walters, the creator and longtime co-host of The View, which debuted in 1997. In the past, Griffin claimed that she angered the legendary journalist when she declined a $1.4 million offer to join the program as a permanent cohost.
"I remember when they offered me the job, Barbara Walters said backstage one time, before we were about to go out and do the live show, 'They say we have chemistry. I don't really see it, but they say we do,'" Griffin said in a YouTube video posted in June 2025. "I loved that, I said, 'Of course we do, Barbara, people love when I give you s‑‑‑,' and then she'd just roll her eyes."
- Kathy Griffin's Mom Once 'Yelled' at Her for Being 'Rude and Snippy' to 'Wonderful' Barbara Walters on 'The View'
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Kathy Griffin Guest Starred on 'The View' in April
Kathy Griffin has appeared on 'The View' several times as both a host and guest.
During her most recent appearance on the morning show as an interview guest in April, the former reality TV star reflected on how her late mother, Maggie Griffin, would always get excited when she was on the series.
"I still talk about my mom in my act. People still like to hear stories about my mom and stuff she would say," she explained.
Kathy Griffin Claimed Her Mom Yelled at Her Following Appearances on 'The View'
Kathy Griffin claimed her mother thought she was 'too snippy' with Barbara Walters.
Griffin claimed that her mom often "yelled" at her for her behavior on The View.
"'I thought you were too snippy with that wonderful Barbara Walters. Is there a card I can send her? Because I don't think she's ever had a guest as rude, Kathleen, as you!'" the actress recalled her mother, who died at 99 in 2020, telling her. "Then she'd come to the show and faint!"
