Kathy Griffin Says 22-Year-Old Boyfriend Post Was Ageism Experiment

Q: After deleting a post with another man in May, why did Griffin suddenly debut her 22-year-old boyfriend two months later?

The most likely reason is that the earlier relationship ended, and Griffin chose to publicly reveal a new one once she was seeing someone else. Reporting around the deleted May 17 Instagram post indicates Griffin had briefly “hard-launched” a different man, one described as closer to her age. Because that post was later removed, the clearest inference is that the relationship did not last. By July, she appeared to be in a new relationship and decided to present it openly, even anticipating backlash by captioning the post, “He’s 22. Have at it, internet.” Her own past comments also help explain why she may have been comfortable debuting a much younger partner. In a 2025 essay for The Cut, Griffin said she had fallen for a 23-year-old and felt younger men could be freer of the “sexism, misogyny, and biases” she associated with some men her own age. That suggests the July reveal was not entirely out of character, but consistent with a dating pattern she has already discussed publicly. So, based on the available facts, the sudden debut two months later was likely the result of a recent breakup with the man from the deleted May post, followed by a new relationship Griffin was willing to make public despite the predictable scrutiny over the age gap.

3 articles · Updated · USA TODAY · Jul 10

Kathy Griffin said her post teasing a 22-year-old boyfriend was a joke and a social-media experiment, not a real relationship.
The 65-year-old said the man was helping with security in New York and used the post to test reactions to an older woman dating someone 43 years younger.
Instagram replies were largely supportive, she said, while Threads drew more slut-shaming, "grooming" accusations and comments calling the idea gross.
Griffin argued the backlash exposed a double standard, pointing to older male celebrities in age-gap relationships that draw far less criticism.
The reveal followed a day of speculation after her hand-holding photo went viral; Griffin has also said she briefly dated a 23-year-old after splitting from Randy Bick.