Kathy Griffin Debuts Fresh Face in Malibu After Third Facelift — Comic Keeps It Real About Pain and Wigs
Hi, I’m Jaden Patel. If you wanted sunshine, Malibu Pilates, and a side of surgical sincerity, you picked the right celebrity to watch.
Let’s all take a moment to pretend we’re shocked. Kathy Griffin, the 64-year-old comedian known for scathing jokes and red-carpet theatrics, was spotted in Malibu showing off what she called her “new face” after admitting on her August 5 podcast that she underwent a third facelift. The outing was unremarkable only in the sense that it involved exercise, orange sunglasses, and an orange PETA shirt that read “Adopt, Don’t Shop.” It was otherwise textbook celebrity renaissance: legging-clad, shades-on, and chronically relatable about pain.
Griffin left Pilates wearing dark blue leggings, black flats, and a white-and-blue patterned purse, according to onlookers. Her signature red hair framed a noticeably refreshed visage as she stepped into a white car and drove away, leaving Malibu’s coastline and gossip columnists in her rearview.
On her “Talk Your Head Off” podcast, Griffin admitted, “Yes, it’s my third,” explaining that she asked surgeons for a “good, healthy face yank” to shave off wrinkles and avoid another trip under the knife in six months. She also confirmed ancillary procedures including an eyelid plasty and chin work. The candid confession is characteristic: Griffin is never short on blunt, self-aware commentary, and she paired the admission with a dose of comic humility, noting that audiences have always come for her jokes rather than her looks.
The comedian was explicit about the recovery process. “It’s painful,” she said, pushing back against chirpy takes that compare facelift recovery to a routine dental procedure. Griffin’s frank remark—“No, it’s painful”—lands with the dry punch of someone who’s done the work and paid the bill. She criticized the social media gloss that trivializes surgical recovery, reminding listeners that cosmetic procedures are not always the breezy, byte-sized experiences influencers make them look like.
This latest operation is the most recent entry in a long history of personal transformation. Griffin’s journey with cosmetic changes dates back to her twenties, beginning with a nose job at 26. In 2017 she shaved her head publicly in solidarity with her sister during chemotherapy, and since then she’s leaned on wigs to achieve the iconic coiffure fans recognize. She’s described her natural hair as “wiry and curly,” and has said wigs are her “magic” solution for public appearances.
The Malibu sighting stands in contrast to a July outing last year where Griffin appeared nearly unrecognizable while wearing a white “Laugh Your Head Off World Tour” shirt. Whether the discrepancy was lighting, styling, or surgical timeline, the transformation narrative is consistent: Griffin is intentional about image adjustments and transparent about the trade-offs.
Griffin’s public honesty about cosmetic work is part of a broader trend where celebrities demystify elective procedures, but she tempers that with a comedian’s skepticism. She frames vanity with irony—admitting she’s vain “for no reason” because fans don’t buy tickets to see her youthful visage—and uses self-deprecation to deflect judgment while controlling the narrative.
What to watch next: will Griffin’s refreshed look be the final chapter or a seasonal tweak for tour photos and podcast close-ups? With a history of openness and a capacity for surprise, expect more candid moments and perhaps more surgical plot twists.
Well, there you have it. Tune in next time for more calculated changes and candid punchlines.
Sources: Celebrity Storm and New York Post, Kathy Griffin Podcast (“Talk Your Head Off”)
Attribution: Creative Commons Licensed
