Kathy Griffin: My Ex Stole $72,000 From Me

Comedian Kathy Griffin told CNN’s Larry King that her marriage to Matthew Moline fell apart after she discovered he’d stolen $72,000 from her.

In a Larry King Live interview that aired Monday night, Griffin, 45, said that Moline, a software entrepreneur, had taken the money from her bank accounts over an 18-month period.

“My ex-husband, without my knowledge, was sneaking into my wallet when I was asleep in the mornings and taking my ATM cards of my own private accounts and withdrawing money,” said the star of Bravo’s My Life on the D-List.

“He admitted it and apologized and … we went to couples therapy,” she continued. “I really wanted to make it work.”

Griffin and Moline wed in 2001; Griffin filed for divorce in September 2005. After an attempted reconciliation, the divorce became official on May 17.

When King suggested that, given showbiz salaries, $72,000 isn’t all that much, Griffin said Moline’s action had tainted her feelings toward him: “Unfortunately, we (were not) able to get beyond the trust issue.”

King then read a statement submitted by Moline. “Since our divorce,” it said, “I have not made any public comments about my ex-wife or our marriage. It saddens me that she would choose to make such accusations at this time. I have no intention of engaging in a public debate over private matters.”

Griffin, who occasionally cracked jokes during the interview (she even tried to get King to admit he’d had a facelift – he refused), said she has not been dating and has been putting all her energy into her work.

“Eventually, I end up putting everything in the act,” she said. “I kind of turn tragedy into comedy and I find that that’s a great way for me to deal with it.”

She also said that talk-show hosts tend to have her on only once, given her outrageous behavior and remarks, and that she covets the bank account of former Three’s Company star and Thigh Master mogul Suzanne Somers.