Kathy Griffin is proving that love doesn’t always follow the “rules” — and sometimes arrives when you least expect it.
The 65-year-old comedian revealed that after her divorce from Randy Bick, she unexpectedly found herself head-over-heels for a 23-year-old man — someone more than four decades younger than her. In a candid essay for The Cut, Griffin said she wasn’t looking for romance… and then it just happened.
“I accidentally fell in love with a 23-year-old,” she wrote, explaining that his age actually made the connection feel lighter and freer. According to Griffin, he didn’t carry the “sexism, misogyny, and biases” she’d often seen in men her age. Instead, he simply saw her for who she was.
Griffin admitted the whole thing sounded “corny” and “lame,” but also incredibly real. She said it felt amazing — and surprising — to discover her heart could still react like that in her 60s.
“It was nice to know that my heart could still feel like that,” she shared. “He made me laugh, he made me feel respected, and we just clicked.”
She described her young partner as smart, adaptable, and possibly an “old soul.” But even with the chemistry, Griffin always knew their romance had an expiration date. She felt she carried too much “baggage” for someone so young, and ultimately she decided she had to “set him free” — even when he insisted he could be with her forever and didn’t want children.
“I really was in love with him,” she said. “He touched my heart.”
They gave the relationship a real try, Griffin explained, and while it didn’t last, it reminded her what deep connection feels like. He made her feel “sexy, special, smart, and funny” — all the ingredients, she said, of what could have been a lasting love.
Griffin laughed at the label but openly embraced it: yes, she’s a cougar — and proud of it. She said she hasn’t dated men her own age since her 30s and is usually approached by younger men anyway.
“To me, being a cougar just means choosing the person you actually want, instead of the age bracket society assigns you,” she said.
On dating apps, she’s brutally honest. She lists her real age — and still, the matches come in decades younger.
“I put 64 on my profile,” she said. “Every date I went on was with someone at least 20 years younger. What am I gonna do? I can’t let this bangin’ body go to waste.”
Griffin finalized her divorce from Bick, who himself was 18 years younger than her, earlier this year. She’s admitted the split shattered her emotionally.
“The divorce is what’s kicking my ass mentally,” she previously told Page Six. “I really thought I’d be with him forever. I’m heartbroken.”
Now, she’s navigating healing, humor, and unexpected love stories — including the one with the 23-year-old who reminded her her heart still works just fine.
