Kathy Griffin Helps Soldiers Heal With Laughter At The Walter Reed Army Medical Center

Kathy Griffin Helps Soldiers Heal With Laughter At The Walter Reed Army Medical Center

Reality TV Website

08.05.08

Troop-loving Kathy Griffin has been to Afghanistan and Iraq to entertain brave men and women in uniform, and along the way, she's acquired a new fan base of soldiers. Now that some of the troops are back stateside, she tries her best to lift their spirits by visiting the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., where many soldiers are recuperating from horrific injuries. Team Griffin tours the hospital - listening and laughing - to find out what's on the minds of these heroes in the fourth season finale of "Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List," Thursday, August 14 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Bravo.

For the third consecutive year, Bravo's "Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List" has been nominated for an Emmy award in the Outstanding Reality Program category. In addition, Griffin's stand-up special "Straight to Hell" picked up a nomination for Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special.

Griffin also visits the wives, husbands and families of these injured soldiers who are staying at Fisher House, a residential complex near the center that provides free housing to families who have traveled great distances to visit their loved ones in the hospital. Griffin knows that these are the forgotten casualties of war - the husbands, wives, fathers, mothers and children who have left their homes, jobs and school to come visit and support the ones they love.

But never one to dwell on the sadness, Griffin decides that she's going to whip these people into a frenzy of fun with a special stand up performance. With an audience full of "children and chaplains," it's no wonder the show starts out bumpy, and there are even a few walkouts. "I was performing for people in wheelchairs and amputees and they still walked out," says Griffin.

The soldiers leave an unforgettable impression on Team Griffin. There's Corporal McCauley, who bonds with Griffin over his questionable tattoo, and Sergeant Shirley, who forges ahead with the help of the adorably cute therapy dog, George.

This cause is very near and dear to Griffin's heart and she is changed by what she sees while visiting with the soldiers and their families. If laughter is the best medicine, then these heroes are in for an overdose of fun.