Kathy Griffin is 64 now, and honestly, she’s reached that "I don't give a damn" stage of life that most of us only dream about. She recently went on a podcast and just blurted it out: her latest facelift cost $218,000. Yeah. You read that right. While most people are trying to figure out if they can afford a decent used car, Kathy is dropping a house-sized down payment on her jawline.
But here’s the thing about Kathy Griffin plastic surgery—she isn’t like those other stars who claim they just "drank more water" or "started using a new jade roller." She’s been surgically altered since the Reagan administration and she’s the first one to tell you it hurts like hell.
The $218,000 "New Face" of 2025
Last August, Kathy hopped on her YouTube show, Talk Your Head Off, and basically said, "Look at me. I have a new face." She didn't hide behind big sunglasses or blame a "new gluten-free diet." She admitted to her third facelift.
Third.
She went to Dr. Ben Talei in Beverly Hills. If that name sounds familiar, it’s because he’s the guy Sia gave an award to while revealing her own surgical results. Kathy actually joked that the only reason she went to him was because Sia’s before-and-after photos were so good.
"It’s my third. I know that’s so vain! I’m so vain for no reason. No one has ever gone to a Kathy Griffin show to see her beautiful, youthful face."
She’s right, but the industry doesn't always see it that way. This latest round wasn't just a quick nip. It involved:
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- An "upper eye job" (blepharoplasty) with a "cat eye stitch" to pull the corners up.
- Work on her chin that left visible drains for the first few days.
- Fat grafting, where they literally sucked fat out of her thigh and injected it into her face to give it volume.
She describes the recovery as "disgusting." Drains coming out of your face, hiding in "rich lady recovery places," and the kind of pain that makes you question your entire existence.
The "Lipo Sucks" Nightmare and the Nose Job That Started It All
Kathy's history with the knife started way back in 1986. She was 26 and a struggling actress in LA. Agents kept telling her, "You'd be pretty if it weren't for that nose." So, she got a nose job. It was her first taste of the Hollywood "requirement" to look a certain way.
But the real horror story happened in 1999.
She wanted "Angelina Jolie arms" and a "Jennifer Aniston body." She went in for liposuction on her waist, 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 eventually wrote a piece for People magazine with the headline "Lipo Sucks!" to warn other women.
It didn't stop her though. In 2003, she went back for more:
- Brow lift (to fix sagging eyelids).
- More lipo on her arms (because she still wanted those Jolie arms).
- Veneers on 20 teeth (she calls them "soap opera teeth").
- A chemical peel that she says made her look like a "turn-of-the-century prostitute" during the healing phase.
The Blindness No One Mentions
Everyone talks about the facelifts, but people forget about the Lasik. In 2003, Kathy went in for what should have been a routine laser eye surgery. It turned into a nightmare involving five separate operations to "fix" the errors.
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Today, she is partially blind in one eye. No glasses or contacts can fix the blurriness. It's a sobering reminder that even with the best Beverly Hills surgeons, things go sideways.
Why She Keeps Doing It
Kathy is incredibly candid about the "why." It isn't because she thinks she’s a supermodel. It’s because she knows how the business works. She once said that if she didn't get this "dental work" (her code name for surgery), she’d be playing someone's great-grandmother on TV.
It’s a survival tactic.
In her mid-60s, she’s leaning into the absurdity of it all. Her 2025 tour is literally titled "New Face, New Tour." She’s making a living off the very thing she feels forced to do. It's meta, it's weird, and it's very Kathy.
What You Should Actually Take Away From This
If you're looking at Kathy’s results and thinking about your own "problem areas," here is the reality check she’d probably give you:
The Price is Not the Price.
Unless you’re a celebrity with a direct line to Dr. Talei, you aren't paying $218k. But you also aren't getting the "rich lady recovery" care. Celebs often pay a premium for 24/7 nursing and secret exits.
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Pain is Part of the Deal.
She specifically calls out influencers who say it’s "no big deal." It is a big deal. It’s surgery. It’s trauma to the body.
Complications are Real.
From partial blindness to nearly dying from lipo, Kathy is a walking billboard for surgical risks. If you’re going under, vet your surgeon like your life depends on it—because it does.
Maintenance Never Ends.
You don't just "get a facelift" and you're done. It's a cycle of fillers, lasers, and "tune-ups."
Kathy Griffin’s face is a map of her career in Hollywood—the pressures, the mistakes, and the sheer resilience of a woman who refuses to be silenced, even when her chin has drains in it. She’s shallow, she’s vain, and she’s the most honest person in the room.
If you are considering a major procedure, start by consulting with a board-certified plastic surgeon and, more importantly, a mental health professional to ensure your expectations align with reality. Focus on small, non-invasive steps first, like a consistent medical-grade skincare routine or light laser treatments, before jumping into the six-figure surgical deep end.