[Sportschosun, Reporter Park Aram] American comedian Kathy Griffin, 65, drew attention after posting a photo that made it appear as if she were dating a man 43 years younger than her. She later said it was a "social experiment."
On the 9th, Griffin posted a photo on her personal account showing her holding hands with a young man, along with the caption, "He is 22 years old. Say whatever you want."
In the photo, Kathy Griffin was walking down the street in a black dress with a blond young man. The man was even seen opening a car door for her, fueling speculation about their relationship.
The post quickly drew major attention online after it was published. Some fans responded, "If she's happy, that's all that matters" and "I support her," while others reacted negatively to the 43-year age gap.
The next day, Kathy Griffin returned to her personal account and revealed the truth behind the post.
She said, "Thank you to everyone who took part in my social media sociology experiment," and explained, "I am not actually dating a 22-year-old man. He was my bodyguard during my trip to New York."
"But I wondered what it would be like if I really were dating him," she added. "The reactions were very interesting."
Kathy Griffin also compared the reactions across platforms. She said that on social media, many people left supportive comments such as "They look good together" and "Enjoy it," while on Threads, criticism and sexist reactions followed, including accusations of "grooming," comments that it was "disgusting," and remarks that it was "not age-appropriate."
She pointed out, "For a long time, it has been widely accepted when an older man dates a much younger woman," and added, "We need to think about why a different standard is applied in the opposite case."
She also cited several celebrity couples who have maintained long-term relationships despite large age gaps, including actor Luke Wilson, 54, who recently had a child with his 24-year-old girlfriend, as well as Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones, Harrison Ford and Calista Flockhart, and Jay-Z and Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter.
She said, "The entertainment industry I work in still has biases about age and gender," and added, "When a woman dates a much younger man, we need to think about why a different lens is applied."
Finally, she added, "Don't take it too seriously. This post was a small social experiment on social media and a lighthearted joke."
Meanwhile, Kathy Griffin also revealed last year that after divorcing her ex-husband Randy Bick, she had dated a 23-year-old man. At the time, she said, "I fell in love with the person, not the age," and added, "The relationship did not last long, but I have no regrets."
tokkig@sportschosun.com
