Key Point Summary – Kathy Griffin Turned Down $1.4 Million

• Kathy Griffin was offered $1.4 million to co-host The View
• She turned it down to stay in Los Angeles and care for her parents
• Griffin was earning around $10 million a year from other gigs at the time
• Barbara Walters was reportedly upset by her decision
• Griffin had appeared on the show around 27 times
• She asked Walters personally to understand her choice
• ABC never increased their offer or tried to negotiate further

Kathy Walked Away From the Table

Kathy Griffin had a golden opportunity to join one of television’s most talked-about daytime shows—but she said no. The outspoken comedian revealed on her YouTube channel that she once turned down a staggering $1.4 million offer to permanently co-host The View in the mid-2000s.

Griffin, now 64, had appeared on the show dozens of times and was no stranger to its high-energy panel. “I really respect those women,” she said, noting that The View continues to stir headlines and controversy every day.

Touring and TV Meant More Than Talk

Even with the generous paycheck on the table, Griffin had bigger things going on. She was deep into filming My Life on the D-List and pulling in millions from her stand-up tours. At the time, she said, her earnings topped $10 million annually.

“I had to turn down The View because I would have had to uproot my whole life,” she said. The comedian was also caring for her aging parents and had no desire to relocate from Los Angeles to New York for the gig.

Barbara Walters Wasn’t Amused

Despite her respect for the opportunity, Griffin’s decision didn’t sit well with The View’s queen bee, Barbara Walters. “She did not like that one bit,” Griffin recalled bluntly.

She even remembered an icy moment backstage when Walters told her, “They say we have chemistry, I don’t really see it.” Griffin fired back playfully, saying, “Of course we do, Barbara—people love when I give you s—.”

No Room to Negotiate

Griffin said she tried to explain her decision to Walters face-to-face. She didn’t want anyone thinking she was brushing off the offer arrogantly. “It’s not that I think I’m too good for this show—it’s the opposite,” she told the late journalist.

The comic even offered to show her tax returns to prove she wasn’t bluffing about her financial success elsewhere. She reportedly asked ABC if they could at least “meet her halfway,” but the network stood firm and made no counter-offer.

A Permanent Spot That Never Was

Despite flying out for nearly 30 guest co-hosting gigs, Griffin never officially joined the panel. At the time, The View was rotating through multiple trial hosts. Griffin grew tired of the in-between stage and finally pushed for a direct answer.

Once they made the $1.4 million offer, Griffin said she weighed the pros and cons carefully. But family obligations and an already lucrative career ultimately made the decision for her.

From the D-List to Total Control

Griffin’s refusal didn’t come from a place of fear or insecurity. She was a star on her own terms. Between her reality show, comedy tours, and Hollywood roots, she had more creative freedom—and income—than a daytime TV contract could provide.

“I was already doing what I wanted,” she said. “I didn’t want to give up that life.”

No Regrets, Just Real Talk

Griffin has never expressed regret over walking away from The View. In fact, she praised the co-hosts for being willing to put themselves in the line of fire every day. She knows the job isn’t easy.

Still, it’s clear she felt the choice to turn it down needed to come directly from her, especially to someone like Walters. “I wanted her to hear it from me,” she said. “But she didn’t care.”

A Hollywood What-If

Kathy Griffin’s almost-seat on The View will go down as one of daytime TV’s greatest “what-ifs.” Would she have clashed with the co-hosts? Would her raw comedic style have pushed the show into even more heated headlines?

We’ll never know. But one thing’s certain: Kathy made her choice—and never looked back.