Kathy Griffin

You’ve seen acid-tongued comic Kathy Griffin grovel on the red carpet. You’ve seen her snap off biting one-liners in her stand-up shows on Bravo. Now you can see the star of the reality show My Life on the D-List up close when she stops off in Houston. Griffin’s humor is based on her life as a minor, often ignored celebrity, always trying to get close to Hollywood stars but never quite making it. Blame it on her self-diagnosed Tourette’s syndrome. She called Ryan Seacrest a “great hostess” several times. Accidentally, of course. There was that time she asked Beyoncé, “If you’re Destiny’s Child, who is destiny’s daddy?” (Beyoncé paused for a moment and then answered, straight-faced, “God.”) And then Griffin started a rumor that 11-year-old actress Dakota Fanning had checked into rehab and tricked celebs into sending her messages of hope. (Will & Grace’s Sean Hayes said, “Take care, Dakota, we don’t want you going south!”) Griffin spent the last year getting a divorce (she caught her husband emptying her bank accounts) and grieving the loss of her dad (some of the most touching moments on My Life on the D-Listcome from her dealing with his death). Neither situation is exactly fodder for great punch lines, but still, Griffin’s time on the D-list may be coming to an end. Her reality show won an Emmy Award nomination, and fans are flocking to her live shows both in the U.S. and Europe.