Kathy Griffin Speaks Out on COVID-19 Vaccine After Lung Cancer

Kathy Griffin has spoken about taking the COVID-19 vaccine as she continues to live with the residual effects of her lung cancer diagnosis.

The comedian, 62, announced that she was diagnosed with the disease in August 2021, before going on to reveal in November of that year that she was cancer-free.

Despite her recovery from cancer itself, she has dealt with issues resulting from the treatment she underwent, including concerns that her voice may never return to its original pitch after surgery left it higher than usual.

In August 2022, Griffin wrote on Twitter about the surgeon who had removed a portion of her lung. Stating that her situation "sucks," Griffin said of the surgeon: "He ruined my vocal chords & my arytenoids permanently! My voice is my living."

On Tuesday, Griffin spoke about how cautious she remains regarding her health and the novel coronavirus after a social media user on X, formerly Twitter, asked others on the platform about the matter.

"Do you know anyone who is fully vaxxed, and never got Covid? Yes or No?" the X user asked.

"Yes!" Griffin wrote in response. "My husband [Randy Bick] and I are fully vaxxed and have NOT gotten covid! Ps. I had lung cancer and I have half a lung, so I can't mess around with covid. Very careful."

Suddenly Susan star Griffin revealed in an August 2022 X post that she had received her fourth COVID vaccine booster shoot. She also shared last week that the celebrities who attended dinner parties at her home took COVID tests beforehand.

Griffin revealed in March her doctors' theory that her lung cancer may have been caused by radon poisoning. She discussed details about how her cancer may have developed as she weighed in on a Twitter thread posted by Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA).

Swalwell posted a message in which he declared "F*** Cancer," before asking his followers to retweet the post if they agreed with his assertion that "we should see it ended in our lifetime."

"How do we beat it?" Swalwell asked in a follow-up post. "1) Robustly fund testing/screening/therapies, 2) Unleash army of docs/scientists into field (unburdened by high cost of college/incentivized to be a part of the cures), 3) More agile FDA, 4) Robustly fund school nutrition awareness, 5) End chemical exposure."

The final point appeared to resonate with Griffin, who responded: "YES PLEASE. I had lung cancer and I've never smoked. Doctors have suggested maybe it was from radon poisoning."

A product of decaying uranium, radon is a naturally occurring gas that can be traced to soil and rock breaking down. It is odorless, tasteless and invisible, and often enters closed buildings through their foundations.

Most people are largely unaware that their homes could be putting their health at risk in this way. The only way to know if radon is in your home is to have a test done. It collects at higher concentrations indoors than outdoors, and levels can fluctuate depending on airflow in the home.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer after smoking, and kills approximately 21,000 Americans per year, many of whom are unknowingly poisoned in their homes.

Several states have radon regulation programs mandating that hazards are disclosed upon the sale of a home, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.