Comedian Kathy Griffin isn’t just a ball-buster; she’s a record-buster, too.
During her touring show performance last month in San Antonio, Texas, Guinness World Records honored the tart-tongued Griffin for logging the most televised stand-up specials by a comedian — 19 at the time. The moment was even captured on film for her 20th special, “Kathy Griffin: Record Breaker,” which debuts 8 p.m. Wednesday on Bravo.
The celebrity smack-talker, who turned 52 on Nov. 4, made sure that was reflected in the one-hour special’s title. “Typically I have a very classy name like ‘Everybody Can Suck It’ or ‘Whores on Crutches’ or ‘Tired Hooker,’” she said in a recent phone interview from her LA home. “For once I have something that even my good friend Barbara Walters isn’t afraid to say on ‘The View.’”
Two-time Emmy winner Griffin — whose first televised stand-up show was on the “HBO Comedy Half-Hour” in 1996 — talked to The Post about winning awards, which celebrities motivate her and who deserved to be Time magazine’s person of the year.
How cool is your latest recognition?
“I am very proud of this. My whole career I’ve heard the whole ‘chicks aren’t funny’ thing. Then let’s put it in the Guinness book and there will be something official that a woman, in fact, went ahead and did more stand-up comedy specials than any comedian, living or dead, male or female.”
Where do you keep your many awards?
“Believe me, they are front and center. When you come in my house, my Emmys physically hit you in the head. I cannot stand when celebs brag about losing their awards or hide them in the bathroom or they’re somewhere in storage. Are you kidding me? I have eight Emmy nominations. It was so hard to win the two I did, [that] they are proudly displayed in my foyer — or I’ll put them in the centerpiece for dinner.”
Congratulations, too, on the recent Grammy nomination for your album “Calm Down Gurrl.”
“For me it’s all about being nominated six years in a row — and losing the first five. And the funny part is I’m also the only person to even show up. Louis CK — he didn’t show up. Jimmy Fallon didn’t show up. And I’m there in my rented ball gown, certainly wanting to win. It’s just hysterical.”
You’ve been doing stand-up for a long time — 23 years.
“I keep going because the Kanye Wests and Senator Ted Cruzes of the world won’t stop giving me material. And when Justin Bieber gets a new tattoo, I cannot get to a microphone fast enough.”
Who’s currently on your radar?
“I’m very, very fascinated with Toronto Mayor Rob Ford. (New York Mayor-elect) Bill de Blasio has nothing on him. I’m not saying I want Mayor de Blasio to do crack. I’m just saying if Mayor de Blasio went to a city council meeting in a Mets or Rangers or Knicks jersey and then he was on crack … I’m not encouraging him to do it; I’m just not going to stop him. And I would send him a nice thank-you note.”
Time magazine named the Pope its person of the year. Do you agree?
“I am livid! How could they come that close and screw it up? That is a missed opportunity! I hope Newsweek makes Miley [Cyrus] person of the year. And if they don’t, darn it, I’m gonna do it on KathyGriffin.com. No offense to his holiness, but her holiness Miley Cyrus was robbed.”
Speaking of disappointments, I understand Friday was the last day of work for your longtime assistant Tiffany, who was a fan favorite on your Bravo reality show “My Life on the D-List.”
“Look, don’t make me cry here. Tiffany’s been with me for seven-and-a- half years. What’s been great is that she laughs her way through everything. When I take criticism for my comedy going too far — which I know I do — that’s how we do it here. Tiffany has been a living example. She has been with me through my divorce, the death of my father, and her father passed away. At some point, you gotta have a good laugh to survive.”