Comedian and actress Kathy Griffin recently opened up about a tense airport encounter with Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl. She shared her experience in a video published on her YouTube channel.
Griffin described how Grohl, whom she considered a friend before her 2017 scandal, appeared to ignore her during a chance meeting at JFK Airport. The scandal involved a controversial image of then-US President Donald Trump.
“He and I used to be kind of friendly. I ran into [Grohl] at JFK [Airport]. It was at the newsstand. I didn’t want to initiate a conversation because I was so used to celebrities not wanting anything to do with me or wanting anyone to even see them standing next to me — and telling me so.”
Griffin went on to describe the moment Grohl seemingly failed to acknowledge her presence.
“Then Dave acted like he didn’t know me. Maybe he didn’t see me, because I’m so hard to miss at a newsstand.”
She also reflected on whether she should have approached him, ultimately deciding against it given the circumstances.
“I thought maybe I should go up to him,” she recalled. “I thought, no, if he’s being like this because of the Trump-head picture scandal, it’s just going to be awkward.”
Griffin concluded her remarks with a mix of humor and disappointment, stopping short of fully condemning the rock star.
“That’s why I say my ‘former friend.’ Still an A-plus musician, but has some issues as being the only nice dude in rock & roll. Maybe. Okay, Dave. You know you saw me.”
The airport encounter was not an isolated incident. Griffin revealed that the two were also seated just two rows apart on the same flight, making the apparent snub all the more pointed. She shared the story on her podcast Talk Your Head Off. It paints a picture of a friendship that quietly dissolved in the wake of one of the most controversial moments of her career.
The fallout traces back to May 2017. Griffin posted a video and photo depicting herself holding a prop made to resemble a bloody, severed head in the likeness of Donald Trump, who was then serving his first term as president. The image ignited an immediate and fierce public backlash. It drew condemnation from across the political spectrum and from within the entertainment industry itself.
The consequences for Griffin were swift and severe. She lost work almost immediately following the scandal. Griffin also faced death threats in the aftermath, which she has said continued for years. Federal authorities launched an investigation into the incident. Griffin was placed on the No Fly List for a period — a detail that lends a particular irony to her airport run-in with Grohl.
The scandal effectively redrew the map of Griffin’s celebrity relationships. Many public figures who had previously been friendly with her distanced themselves, unwilling to be associated with the controversy. Griffin has spoken candidly about the experience of being shunned by peers she once considered close, describing it as one of the most isolating periods of her life.
Despite the years that have passed, Griffin has not shied away from revisiting those experiences. Her willingness to name Grohl specifically — while still acknowledging his talent — reflects a broader pattern of Griffin reclaiming her narrative on her own terms. She has used her platform to address the personal costs of a scandal that reshaped her public life.
