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Despite the fact that she was a rich, ripe, 81-year-old, Joan Rivers was just one of those people who you thought would never, ever die. There was just something about her that made her seem ageless. Maybe it was the fact that she was always, always working, or the fact that she had one of the sharpest comedic minds in the business. Even though she was 81, she could probably think of a one-liner or zinger faster than any of us could. Or maybe it was the fact that most of her body parts were less than 18 years old. There was just something about her that made it seem like she could go on forever and outlive us all.
I could go on and on about how much of a pioneer she was for women in standup comedy, or how she inspired legions of female comics to follow in her footsteps. She created the phrase, “Who are you wearing?” which can now be heard on every red carpet from here to Timbuktu. She had an inspiring career as an author, interviewer, and hawker of products on QVC, but I think that will get covered by everyone and their dog, frankly, because she was just such an impressive woman and there’s so much to cover. She was a tremendous person.
Instead, I want to point out some of the things she did and saw in her career, and I’ll tell you why it’s so shocking that she’s gone. She was in a play with then-unknown Barbara Streisand in the 1950s. She worked on “The Carol Burnett Show,” was a regular on “Hollywood Squares,” and wrote and directed a Billy Crystal movie at the age of 45. Any ONE of those things alone would make a career for a normal person, but that barely scratches the surface for her. She made her first appearance on “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson” in 1965, and amazingly became the permanent guest host of the show in 1983. She was like a daughter to Johnny, at least until that fateful moment in 1986 when she became the first female to host a talk show, “The Late Show With Joan Rivers” on FOX. Carson was so offended that she didn’t tell him personally that he banned her from his show–a ban that was only reversed this year when Jimmy Fallon took over as host. That ban lasted beyond Johnny, and continued through Jay Leno and Conan O’Brien’s tenures on the show.
We’re talking about a woman who’s seen them all come and go, and at the age of 81, she could have easily retired and enjoyed her twilight years after a long, venerable career. Not a soul would have blamed her. She could have hung up the microphone a long time ago, but she never did. She never slowed down, and she never stopped. She still did hundreds of standup performances a year, all over the country. She did commercials, made appearances on the E! network, hosted shows, and just came out with a book at the beginning of July. She even released a new episode of her podcast the day before her throat surgery, and she made her last TV appearance on Aug. 26, when she hosted an episode of “Fashion Police” to discuss the Emmys and VMAs. She was a champion of Jewish rights, women’s rights, and the right to tell a fucking joke. She was so unapologetic and there was truly nobody else like her.
But more than that, she was the last of a dying breed.
There are barely any people left who have appeared on Johnny Carson’s “Tonight Show,” or even remember Johnny Carson. How about someone who hosted the show FOR Johnny in his absence? What about appearances on “The Carol Burnett Show” or “The Ed Sullivan Show”? She worked with Milton Berle, Dick Van Dyke, George Burns, Dean Martin, Steve Allen, Jack Parr, Sid Cesar, Imogene Coca, Burgess Meredith, or Ed Sullivan; she appeared at the legendary Friars Club roasts, the Dean Martin celebrity roasts, or on classics such as “Your Show of Shows,” “Get Smart,” “The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour,” or “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In.” There are very few people left who can claim they’ve worked with such people and appeared on these shows, who are still active and still lending their talents to the world and inspiring generations of new comedians and writers every day.
That’s what happens when you lose a Joan Rivers, or when you think about losing someone like Jerry Lewis, Carl Reiner, Mel Brooks, or, God help us, Don Rickles. These people are the last of a dying breed, and when they go, that’s it. They’re not coming back, and they’re taking an entire era with them. These are our last connections to the Golden Age of comedy and television, and unfortunately, once they go, there really won’t be anyone left who remembers that incredible, groundbreaking era. They paved the way so the rest of us could go forth and make dick jokes on the Internet.
We have to treasure them while we have them. People like Joan Rivers will never be truly gone–just think of the sheer volume of material she left behind, including hours upon hours of standup comedy, television show appearances, and the dozen books she wrote (I haven’t even READ a dozen books). She was such a pioneer who blazed a trail that comics of both genders will follow for years to come. Joan Rivers changed the world. She was truly unique, there was nobody like her, and the world is a little less funny without her in it.
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I’m going to get down voted and shit on for being insensitive, but all this media hype about Joan Rivers seems fake and like everyone is giving lip service and saving face. There’s respecting the dead and then there’s kissing the dead’s ass (like how everyone forgot MJ’s past child molestation allegations once he died). The truth is Joan was a mean, nasty bitch. She wasn’t funny, and her career was based upon tearing people down and making fun of them. Maybe now people can watch award shows without hearing her hateful and unfunny quips.
I would say that it’s a pretty big stretch to compare Joan Rivers to a child molester, but by god, you’ve done it.
Joan Rivers has done more for comedy, women’s rights and free speech than any of us shit-sippers could do in a thousand lifetimes. If you like insult comics like Bob Saget or Anthony Jeselnik or Tosh or Don Rickles or Jeff Ross, but dislike Joan Rivers, then you might just be just a plain old misogynist.
Jaytas wouldn’t be reporting this if she wasn’t from Brooklyn. There’s your bias, Jaytas.
I have never in my life lived in Brooklyn.
You’re from New York and write about it all the time. Unless you’re one of those people who believe Manhattan is the only borough of NY.
The difference between those guys and Joan Rivers is they laughed at and insulted people who did or said stupid shit. Joan Rivers made a career at laughing at and tearing down anybody for anything. Christ she walked out of an interview because the broadcaster called her out on her shit.
Yes, we’re all entitled to our opinions and freedom of speech, but it’s knowing when and how to exercise those is what makes someone a decent person.
“If you like X then you must be Y.” Nice association fallacy.
I agree with you 100% and in this PC world we live in people are scared they’re going to be labeled a racist, hater, or what ever when they express their opinion.
The irony of hating Joan Rivers and then complaining about the PC police…
PS being labeled a hater and being labeled a racist aren’t exactly comparable.
You guys must hate Louis CK so much.
Completely agree with all of this. She was an incredibly hard worker, and came up in comedy when it was emphatically considered a men’s profession.
The people who hated her are the type of people who claim to like edgy humor, but when difficult topics come up like death, cancer, 9/11, etc. they get offended and expect an apology. The thing I liked about Joan is she could find humor in these difficult topics and bring some laughter in the face of a tough and often cruel world, and she never apologized for speaking her mind.