Comedian Kathy Griffin had an incredible offer on the table: permanently co-hosting the famed series The View at a salary of over a million dollars. She said no.
The View’s Barbara Walters was not happy with her decision, Griffin revealed this week, adding that the iconic late TV host “did not like that one bit.”
The comedian, 64, said she declined the proposal because it would “uproot” her life in Los Angeles. She had already guest-hosted the show nearly 30 times before she was presented with the permanent slot in the mid-2000s.
Although it was a pretty sweet deal, Griffin barely hesitated before turning it down.
“I had to turn down The View because I would have had to uproot my whole life,” she said in a new episode of her “Talk Your Head Off” YouTube series, adding that she was also taking care of her parents at the time.
Griffin explained, “They made me an offer and the offer was for 1.4 [million dollars] and I am just going to be honest, I had to turn it down because at the time between doing My Life on the D-List and touring I was making about 10 [million] a year.”
Before finally turning it down, Griffin remembers pulling Walters aside and telling her in person. “I want you to know why I’m going to say no. It’s not that I think I’m too good for this show, it’s the opposite: this show is too good for me,” she said.
“I’m going to be honest, this is how much money I made last year,” Griffin recalled telling Walters. “I will show you my tax returns. I don’t want you to think I’m blowing smoke but between moving costs and I’m so entwined with my mom and dad. I have a house in Los Angeles, and it just isn’t feasible for me to do, but I want you to hear it directly from me.”
Walters, however “did not like that one bit.” When Griffin realized that the show would not up their offer “by a penny” or meet her halfway, she knew she would have to turn it down completely.
Griffin still has utmost admiration for the show. She remembers Walters, who died at 93 in 2022, telling her “they say we have chemistry.” Although the permanent casting didn’t work out, she was grateful for the opportunity.
“I really respect those women for going on that show day in and day out because they know there’s blowback,” Griffin said. “And by the way, to this day, The View is one of the most buzz-worthy shows on television or anywhere.”
Comedian Rosie O’Donnell wound up getting hired by The View instead in 2006, but left after less than a year after frequently clashing with the show’s conservative co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck.
For more, listen to Kathy Griffin on The Last Laugh podcast.
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