CHILD OF TELEVISION: Joan Rivers

Thursday, September 04, 2014

Joan Rivers

I enjoy life when things are happening.

I don't care if it's good things or bad things.

That means you're alive

- Joan Rivers

Joan Rivers died today following serious complications—including cardiac arrest—that arose during throat surgery at a clinic on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. Her daughter, Melissa Rivers, released the following statement:

"It is with great sadness that I announce the death of my mother. She passed peacefully at 1:17 p.m. surrounded by family and close friends. My son and I would like to thank the doctors, nurses, and staff of Mount Sinai Hospital for the amazing care they provided for my mother. Cooper and I have found ourselves humbled by the outpouring of love, support, and prayers we have received from around the world. They have been heard and appreciated. My mother's greatest joy in life was to make people laugh. Although that is difficult to do right now, I know her final wish would be that we return to laughing soon."

She was born Joan Alexandra Molinsky on June 8, 1933. Many of us children of television will know her best for her stand-up comedy, for co-hosting the E! celebrity fashion show Fashion Police, and for starring in the reality series Joan and Melissa: Joan Knows Best? alongside her daughter Melissa Rivers. She established her particular comic style, poking fun at celebrities, but also at herself, often joking about her extensive plastic surgery.

Rivers first came to prominence in 1965 as a guest on The Tonight Show Staring Johnny Carson. In spite of her highly publicized fallout with Carson, she always acknowledges him as her mentor. When she launched a rival program, The Late Show, he never spoke to her again. She went on to host a successful daytime slot, The Joan Rivers Show, which won her a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Talk Show Host. Her satirical style of humor, however, by focusing on the personal lives of celebrities and public figures, was sometimes criticized. She also authored 12 best-selling memoir and humor books, and provided comic material for stage and television.

I compiled some clips and I think that they not only cover Joan's incredible career but also Television, Comedy, and Talk Show History as well.