Kathy Griffin reveals, through heartbreaking tweets, that mom Maggie is suffering from dementia
Comedian Kathy Griffin has shared a devastating update about her mom, Maggie, who appeared on her daughter’s TV shows, My Life on the D-List and Kathy.
The comic explained in a series of tweets that Maggie, who’s now 98, is suffering from dementia, to the point where her daughter hasn’t had a “coherent conversation” with her in more than three months. She noted that her mother’s rapid decline, from someone who was always quick and smart, has been excruciating to watch.
A) As heartbreaking as this is, I feel the need to share some important info about my mom Maggie. I’ve always been honest with you all, but this one is really hard. The pic below, taken in September, was the last time I was able to have a proper/coherent conversation with her. pic.twitter.com/oqBcQTEDAB
— Kathy Griffin (@kathygriffin) January 3, 2019
C) My mom is 98 and up until this past couple years she was so sharp she always kept me on my toes. Her mind was so naturally quick, funny, and smart. No one could get anything past her. Watching that slip away so fast has been devastating.
— Kathy Griffin (@kathygriffin) January 3, 2019
Kathy said she decided to share the news publicly because people were asking her to share footage of her mother. Maggie has long appeared as a sidekick for her daughter on TV and off. She wrote her own book, Tip It!: The World According to Maggie, in 2010.
In fact, both Maggie and John Griffin, Kathy’s father, were part of the Suddenly Susan star’s reality shows. Kathy’s dad died in 2007.
E) A big reason I’m sharing this news with you is that so many of you have asked why I haven’t posted a video of Maggie & her beloved dog Twinkle in the past few months. Now you understand why we haven’t been able to share anything, here is a moment between them from this summer pic.twitter.com/IWdzoGAHTW
— Kathy Griffin (@kathygriffin) January 3, 2019
G) If you ever met my mom and asked for a photo, you should know it was a pleasure as much for her as it was for you. She loved making people happy and making people laugh. And trust me, I know she was the bigger star…here she is at my LA show in June greeting her many fans! pic.twitter.com/loWSzKckGG
— Kathy Griffin (@kathygriffin) January 3, 2019
I) One of the many perks of being in show business is having the ability/resources of being able to capture amazing moments. When I brought @shanedawson‘s mom @TeresaYaw backstage at my show in LA, I had Teresa teach Maggie about Youtube…or as Maggie called it U2 pic.twitter.com/Gxjs8KUH1i
— Kathy Griffin (@kathygriffin) January 3, 2019
K) I would love it if you would respond to this thread with a video clip of your favorite Maggie moments or if you had the honor of meeting her a photo. While the reality for Maggie is different now, I want to remember the woman all of you fell in love with.
— Kathy Griffin (@kathygriffin) January 3, 2019
M) I will never forget how kind so many of you were to her. People ask why I’m friends with @KimKardashian. It’s simple, moments like these…when Maggie was depressed, Kim cheered her up by bringing her kids Saint and North to the house. It made Maggie’s day. pic.twitter.com/cPzyOUfdaE
— Kathy Griffin (@kathygriffin) January 3, 2019
After Griffin shared her sad news, fans offered her their favorite memories of Maggie, just as her daughter had requested.
They had some touching stories.
“I never met your mom, but loved her as if she were my own at times. Watching D List, I felt as if she was the mom that we all needed at some point in our lives. For me, that was during the time when I was coming out to my Catholic parents. Update: they were fine.”
“I was fresh out of the hospital for depression in 2007. I discovered ‘My Life on the D-List’ and seeing you and your Mom pulled me through such an awful year. For me, the moment that was such a highlight was when she was on your Facebook and gasped, ‘This girl’s a Christian!’ She was such light and hope and passion. I loved seeing her in the flea market signing things. Also a close runner up is her trying to remember all her siblings names. Her humble nature made me fall in love. My heart is with you.”
“Kathy, I am very sorry for this period in both of your lives. It is heartbreaking. But asking us to choose just one moment where we fell in love with your Maggie is simply impossible.”
“As much as I enjoyed meeting you the real treat was meeting Maggie. As much as we loved her for giving us you…. we love you more for giving us Maggie.”
Kathy responded with a few more messages.
O) So many wonderful memories…thank you from the bottom of my heart. pic.twitter.com/VKueCT7NTE
— Kathy Griffin (@kathygriffin) January 3, 2019
P) Look at her…such a natural…I’m surprised she didn’t push me out of the way! 😂 pic.twitter.com/0jPRlfDyuB
— Kathy Griffin (@kathygriffin) January 4, 2019
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