Kathy Griffin on Her New Bravo Talk Show: "No Thing Is Off Limits and No Person Is Off Limits"

Kathy Griffin said it plainly: "No thing is off limits and no person is off limits. That's another reason I really have to surround myself with civilian…" — and Premier Guide Miami was in the room when it happened.

On April 17, 2012, Bravo held a press call with Kathy Griffin ahead of the April 19th premiere of Kathy , her new one-hour weekly pop culture talk show. Griffin — a two-time Emmy Award winner — spoke with Premier Guide Miami about why she told Bravo no the first time they asked, why she won't have celebrity guests, and how she found out she was banned from the TODAY Show while frozen naked in her bathroom watching CNN.

No thing is off limits and no person is off limits. That's another reason I really have to surround myself with civilians — unlike celebrities, they can probably speak freely.

You've appeared on or co-hosted so many talk shows over the years — from Jimmy Kimmel Live to The View to Rosie. What took so long to get your own?

A couple of years ago I told them I felt I had more D-list left in me. I was able to go to Iraq and perform there and perform in a maximum security prison and do the type of things outside the studio I still had a burning desire to do. So when I felt that had really run its course in a good way, then I did four standup specials last year, and then we started to have a serious talk about a talk show.

I understand you're not going to have celebrity guests on the show. Why not?

Why would I? How could I possibly say the things to celebrities that America wants to say? You can't just have Madonna on and say, "When's the last time you got your fillers? Who's your doctor? What was the healing time? Do you have any before and after pictures?" So you get fired for all of those. That's another reason I really have to surround myself with civilians — unlike celebrities, they can probably speak freely. And if they don't, I send them to Guantanamo Bay.

Will anything be off limits on the show?

No thing is off limits and no person is off limits. I'm going to really have a lack of structure that'll be dazzling to you and will be a nightmare for the editing booth. I think it should have a discussion feel, a chatty feel, and more importantly, people should feel free to say whatever the fuck they want. I'm 51 years old, so truly my inspirations go back to Johnny Carson, Joan Rivers taking over and being outrageous and unlike anybody we'd seen on TV before, to the Mike Douglas Show. And then all the shows that are currently on — I watch them, I love them.

You were recently re-banned from the TODAY Show. What happened?

The reason I'm a little late for this call is because I was in my bathroom — where I have a TV because I'm famous — and I was the lead story on CNN for the half hour. I couldn't believe my good fortune when the banner actually said, "Kathy Griffin re-banned from the TODAY Show." So I was frozen naked with a toothbrush in my hand watching myself on CNN. It was very exciting. From what I understand, the newsreader Natalie Morales thinks I was rude to her at the Golden Globes. The downside of that is I didn't go to the Golden Globes. So clearly she had me confused with Gwyneth Paltrow.

You co-hosted a book party recently and Kris Jenner showed up. What was that like?

A little hush came over the room, I'm not going to lie. But she couldn't have been nicer and couldn't have been more friendly. And I think I actually heard like the sound of a cash register as she was talking to me — you could just hear her stockpiling money in her mind. I believe in the time it took her to talk to me — which was about five minutes — I believe she then netted $4.2 billion. And it was weird because Ryan Seacrest was there with one of those change purses making sure he got his cut.

Is there anyone in Hollywood you're actually afraid of?

I'm trying to think of people I should be afraid of. And I know that there are people that logically I should be afraid of. But I just think that it is antithetical to all things comedy to be afraid of someone — I think it's important that they're all fair game and that they're all on the table. I mean, I guess I might be a little bit afraid of Lou Ferrigno because he did threaten to throw Lisa Lampanelli out a window on The Celebrity Apprentice. And I admit it, I'm a little nervous around DMX when I watch him on Couples Therapy. But these aren't people that are really in my daily world.

Kathy premiered Thursday, April 19, 2012, at 10 p.m. on Bravo.

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