Dear Hollywood big bosses, Kathy Griffin has a message for you. “Hollywood is behind the curve on women’s issues and on who their audience is,” the actress and comedienne told Deadline in a recent interview.
The 55-year-old says she’s sick and tired of hearing that the networks need to target “younger eyeballs.” With decades of experience in showbiz, Griffin has plenty to say about ageism in Hollywood. She’ll join other actresses, directors and experts on a panel this Friday evening that will be moderated by actress Sharon Lawrence to discuss how bad the problem really is.
“There’s very little representation of people who look like me or sound like me on television,” Griffin said. “I want to see people I can relate to.”
While it’s not totally uncommon to see older women on television, the actress believes the networks simply aim to fulfill a quota rather than truly appeal to an older demographic. Countless celebrities, including Kim Cattrall, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Julianne Moore, have called out Hollywood for not telling the stories of older women and instead focusing on projects they think will be most lucrative.
The over-50 demographic has some of the greatest spending power of any generation and yet marketers and big bosses fail to cater to them.
Griffin says she’s been told that, at 55, she ought to let her career take a back seat and focus on other things, but she refuses.
“I’m 55 and having the time of my life,” she said, adding that she feels no older than 21.
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