Hollywood is a weird place. We all know that, right? But the way we talk about aging there is even weirder. Most stars act like their sagging skin just magically tightened itself thanks to "clean living" and maybe a really expensive green juice. Kathy Griffin isn't about that.
She's spent decades being the loudest person in the room, especially when it comes to the knives and needles. Recently, the 65-year-old comedian made headlines again. Why? Because she dropped a cool $218,000 on her third facelift.
Yeah, you read that right. Over two hundred thousand dollars for a "good yank," as she calls it.
The $218,000 "New Face" of 2025
Honesty is Kathy's brand. On an episode of the Good Guys podcast with Josh Peck and Ben Soffer, she didn't just admit to the work; she did the math. She joked about how many "dick jokes" she has to tell to pay off a bill that high.
Most people in her tax bracket go to New York for Dr. Steven Levine (the guy who famously did Kris Jenner’s viral facelift). Kathy went a different route. She stayed in Beverly Hills and hired Dr. Ben Talei.
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What’s interesting is who inspired her. It wasn't some Instagram model. It was the singer Sia. Sia had a facelift with Talei in 2023 and was so happy with it that she even presented him with an award. Kathy saw Sia’s "before and after" photos and was sold.
It wasn't just a simple pull
When we talk about kathy griffin plastic surgery, people usually just think "facelift." It was actually a lot more technical than that. According to her own updates on her Talk Your Head Off YouTube show, the laundry list included:
- Upper Blepharoplasty: A fancy word for an eye job.
- The "Cat Eye" Stitch: This is a specific technique to lift the corners of the eyes.
- Chin Work: She mentioned having a "stitch in her chin" that you can't see unless you’re literally underneath her.
- Fat Transfer: They took fat from her thigh and injected it into her face to restore volume.
She’s the first to admit it’s vain. "I'm so vain for no reason," she told her fans. "No one has ever gone to a Kathy Griffin show to see her beautiful, youthful face." But she does it anyway because, in her words, she’s on television.
The Horror Story No One Forgets
If you’ve followed her for a while, you know this isn't her first rodeo. It’s actually her third facelift. But the most legendary—and terrifying—part of the kathy griffin plastic surgery timeline happened back in 1999.
She wanted to look like Jennifer Aniston. Who didn't in the late 90s?
She went in for liposuction on her waist, stomach, thighs, and knees. It almost killed her. She woke up unable to pee, developed toxicity, and had to wear a catheter for a week. She even published the "disgusting" photos in her memoir, Official Book Club Selection, to show women what a botched job actually looks like.
It didn't stop her from getting more work later, but it changed how she talked about it. She stopped pretending it was easy.
"It’s not like getting a tooth filled"
One thing Kathy hates? Celebrities who say plastic surgery doesn't hurt.
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She’s been very vocal about the recovery from this latest 2025 procedure. She spent time at a "rich lady recovery place" before going home with a nurse. She described the drains coming out of her chin and the sheer "grossness" of the first few nights.
"I'm going to be honest. It's painful," she said. She has no patience for "these bitches" who claim it's a breeze.
A Timeline of the Work
To understand where she is now, you have to look at the 40-year evolution. This isn't just one surgery; it's a lifetime of maintenance.
- Rhinoplasty (Age 26): Hollywood told her she’d work more if her nose was smaller. She listened.
- The 1999 Liposuction: The "Jennifer Aniston" disaster that led to an ER visit.
- Brow Lift and More Lipo (2003): She went back for her arms and a brow lift.
- Veneers: The "soap-opera perfect" teeth she got after the brow lift.
- LASIK & Eye Issues: She’s had multiple surgeries on her eyes, even claiming partial blindness in one eye from a "tune-up" gone wrong.
- Lip Blushing (2023): She got her lips tattooed to add permanent color.
- The 2025 "Grand Slam": The third facelift, chin work, and blepharoplasty.
Why Do We Care?
There’s a lot of debate about whether Kathy’s openness is helpful or if it just reinforces impossible beauty standards.
On one hand, she’s literally showing the scars. She’s telling you it costs a quarter of a million dollars and feels like you’ve been hit by a truck. That’s a reality check most of Hollywood refuses to give.
On the other hand, she admits she does it because she feels the pressure of the "boys' club" in comedy. She once mentioned a meeting where an NBC exec told her they’d find a role for her that "fits as tight as those jeans." You don't hear people saying that to her male peers.
Actionable Insights for the Rest of Us
If you’re looking at kathy griffin plastic surgery and thinking about your own "problem areas," here is what you should actually take away from her story:
- Don't bargain hunt: Kathy paid $218k for a reason. Cheap surgery is where the horror stories live. If you can't afford the best, don't do it.
- The "Disgusting" Week is real: Budget for a brutal recovery. Drains, swelling, and pain are the standard, not the exception.
- Exercise still wins: Kathy famously said that her 1999 lipo had nothing to do with her getting into shape later; that was just diet and exercise.
- Check the surgeon's "Real" work: She chose her 2025 surgeon based on seeing Sia’s face in person, not just a filtered Instagram post.
Kathy is currently touring with a show called New Face, New Tour. It’s a perfect title. She’s leaning into the absurdity of it all. Whether you love the look or think she’s gone too far, you have to respect the fact that she’s the only one telling us exactly what it costs—both in dollars and in pain.
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Research the specific recovery protocols for deep-plane facelifts versus traditional ones before booking a consultation. Always ask a surgeon for "unfiltered" recovery photos of their previous patients to manage your expectations of the first 14 days post-op.