Joan Rivers facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Joan Rivers |
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Rivers in 1966
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| Birth name | Joan Sandra Molinsky |
| Born | June 8, 1933 Brooklyn, New York City, U.S. |
| Died | September 4, 2014 (aged 81) Manhattan, New York City, U.S. |
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| Alma mater | Barnard College |
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| Children | Melissa |
Joan Rivers (born Joan Sandra Molinsky; June 8, 1933 – September 4, 2014) was a famous American comedian, actress, writer, and TV host. She was known for her direct and funny style, often making jokes about herself, celebrities, and politicians. Many people see her as a pioneer for women in comedy.
Joan Rivers started her career in comedy clubs in Greenwich Village, New York City. She became well-known in 1965 after appearing on The Tonight Show. Her mentor, Johnny Carson, hosted the show and helped her develop her unique comedy style. In 1986, she made history by becoming the first woman to host a late-night network TV talk show, The Late Show with Joan Rivers. She later hosted The Joan Rivers Show (1989–1993), winning an Emmy for best talk show host. From the 1990s, she became famous for her funny interviews on the red carpet at awards shows. She also co-hosted the fashion show Fashion Police from 2010 to 2014 and starred in the reality series Joan & Melissa: Joan Knows Best? with her daughter, Melissa Rivers.
Besides her TV work, Joan Rivers created a popular line of jewelry and clothing for the QVC shopping channel. She wrote 12 best-selling books and released three comedy albums. In 2009, she won The Celebrity Apprentice with her daughter Melissa. After she passed away in 2015, she won a Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album for her book, Diary of a Mad Diva. In 2017, Rolling Stone magazine named her one of the top 50 stand-up comedians of all time. She was also added to the Television Academy Hall of Fame.
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Growing Up
Joan Alexandra Molinsky was born on June 8, 1933, in Brooklyn, New York. Her parents, Beatrice and Meyer C. Molinsky, were immigrants from Russia. Her father was a doctor. Joan had an older sister named Barbara. She spent her early years in Brooklyn.
Joan went to the Adelphi Academy of Brooklyn, a school that prepared students for college. She was very involved in theater activities there. By age 16, she was vice president of the Dramatic Club. She graduated from Adelphi Academy in 1951 when she was 18. Later, her family moved to Larchmont, a town north of New York City. Joan often said in interviews that she struggled with her body image because she was overweight as a child and teenager.
She studied at Connecticut College for two years. Then, she transferred to Barnard College, where she earned a degree in English literature and anthropology in 1954. Before becoming a comedian, Joan worked many different jobs. She was a tour guide at Rockefeller Center, a writer for an advertising agency, and a fashion consultant. During this time, an agent told her to change her name, and she chose Joan Rivers.
Comedy Career Beginnings
In the late 1950s, Joan Rivers acted in a short play called Driftwood. Barbra Streisand was also in this play. In the early 1960s, Joan performed at many comedy clubs in Greenwich Village, New York City. These included The Bitter End and The Gaslight Cafe. She became friends with other comedians like Woody Allen and George Carlin. She also worked alongside musicians such as Bob Dylan and Simon and Garfunkel.
Between 1963 and 1964, Joan was part of a comedy group called "Jim, Jake & Joan." They even appeared in a movie called Once Upon A Coffee House. This was Joan's first movie role. The group later broke up.
Joan also appeared on The Tonight Show when Jack Paar was the host. In 1965, she worked on Candid Camera, helping to set up funny situations for the show. After trying out seven times over three years, she finally made her first appearance on The Tonight Show with new host Johnny Carson on February 17, 1965. Joan said this was her big break. Carson told her on the air, "you're gonna be a star." After that, she became a regular guest and a close friend of Carson.
As she became more famous, she appeared on many popular shows. These included The Ed Sullivan Show and The Mike Douglas Show. She also wrote jokes for the puppet mouse Topo Gigio. In 1968, she had a small role in the movie The Swimmer. She also hosted her own short-lived talk show, That Show with Joan Rivers, which started in September 1968.
Success in the 1970s
In the 1970s, Joan Rivers continued to be a popular face on television. She appeared on The Carol Burnett Show and was a regular on Hollywood Squares. She also guest-starred in Here's Lucy.
Joan made her debut on Broadway in the play Fun City in 1972. Even though the play didn't do well, critics praised Joan's performance. From 1972 to 1976, she narrated The Adventures of Letterman, a cartoon part of The Electric Company.
In 1973, Joan co-wrote a TV movie called The Girl Most Likely To.... It was a dark comedy about a girl who gets plastic surgery and takes revenge on those who were mean to her. The movie was very popular. Joan also wrote a column for The Chicago Tribune and published her first book, Having a Baby Can Be a Scream, in 1974.
In 1978, Joan Rivers directed her first movie, the comedy Rabbit Test. She also wrote the movie, which starred her friend Billy Crystal as the world's first pregnant man. The movie was not successful. During this time, she also performed as an opening act for famous singers in Las Vegas.
The 1980s and a Big Change
The early 1980s were very successful for Joan Rivers. In 1983, she performed at Carnegie Hall, had a stand-up special, and released her best-selling comedy album What Becomes a Semi-Legend Most?. This album was nominated for a Grammy Award. By August 1983, Johnny Carson made Joan his first permanent guest host on The Tonight Show. She often called herself "Johnny Carson's daughter" because he had helped her so much.
Joan Rivers also attended a dinner at the White House in 1983. She performed at a lunch for the 1984 Republican National Convention. In 1984, she published a funny book called The Life and Hard Times of Heidi Abramowitz. This book was about a funny character she played. She later wrote her next book, Enter Talking, in 1986, which told the story of her rise to fame.
In 1986, something happened that ended Joan's long friendship with Johnny Carson. The new Fox Television Network offered her her own late-night talk show, The Late Show Starring Joan Rivers. This made her the first woman to host a late-night talk show on a major network. The show would compete with Carson's show. Carson found out about Joan's new show from Fox, not from her. Joan said she called Carson to talk about it, but he hung up on her and never spoke to her again. She was not allowed to appear on The Tonight Show again until February 17, 2014, when Jimmy Fallon became the new host.
The Late Show Starring Joan Rivers started on October 9, 1986. Fox executives wanted to fire her husband, Edgar Rosenberg, who was the show's producer. When Joan stood up for him, Fox fired them both in May 1987.
After the Fox show, Joan's career slowed down for a bit. She did voice work for the movie Spaceballs (1987), a funny parody of Star Wars. In 1989, her daytime TV show, The Joan Rivers Show, began. This show was very successful and ran for five seasons. She won a Daytime Emmy in 1990 for Outstanding Talk Show Host.
The 1990s and Beyond
In the 1990s, Joan Rivers continued to achieve great things. In 1990, she starred in the TV movie How to Murder a Millionaire. Also in 1990, she started designing jewelry, clothing, and beauty products for the shopping channel QVC. She said that at the time, only "dead celebrities" went on QVC, and her career felt over. But her products became hugely popular, selling over $1 billion by 2014.
In 1994, Joan and her daughter Melissa started hosting the pre-awards shows for the Golden Globe Awards and Academy Awards on E! Entertainment Television. They became famous for their funny and honest interviews on the red carpet. They changed how celebrity fashion was shown and discussed. Joan and Melissa also played themselves in the TV drama Tears and Laughter: The Joan and Melissa Rivers Story in 1994.
Joan also wrote and starred in a play called Sally Marr... and Her Escorts in 1994. The play was about Lenny Bruce's mother, who was also a comedian. Critics praised Joan's performance, and she was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play. From 1997, she hosted her own radio show in New York City. She also wrote several self-help books.
In the 2000s, Joan continued to host red carpet events for the E! channel. From 2002 to 2004, she toured with her one-person comedy show, Joan Rivers: Broke and Alone. She received good reviews for her funny jokes about celebrities and getting older.
In 2003, she moved to the TV Guide Channel to cover awards shows. Joan also guest-starred as herself in TV series like Curb Your Enthusiasm and Nip/Tuck. She even voiced herself in the animated movie Shrek 2 in 2004. In 2007, she performed for Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip in England. In 2008, she was invited to a comedy event for Prince Charles' 60th Birthday.
Throughout the 2000s, Joan often appeared on TV game shows. In 2009, she and her daughter Melissa were contestants on Celebrity Apprentice. Joan won the season, raising money for her chosen charity, God's Love We Deliver. Also in 2009, her reality show, How'd You Get So Rich?, premiered on TV Land. The show followed Joan as she interviewed people who became millionaires on their own.
Final Years and Legacy
A documentary film about Joan Rivers, Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work, came out in 2010. The film followed her for 14 months and showed the challenges and joys of her life as a groundbreaking female performer. Critics praised the film for its honest look at her career.
Starting in 2010, Joan co-hosted the E! show Fashion Police. On the show, she, Giuliana Rancic, Kelly Osbourne, and George Kotsiopoulos commented on celebrity fashion. The show was very popular. Her last TV appearance was on Fashion Police on August 26, 2014, shortly before her death.
In 2011, Joan appeared in a commercial for Go Daddy during the Super Bowl XLV. She also guest-starred as herself in an episode of Louis C.K.'s show Louie, where she gave comedy advice. Also in 2011, Joan and her daughter starred in the reality show Joan & Melissa: Joan Knows Best? on WE tv. The show followed Joan moving in with Melissa in California. It ran for four seasons until 2014. In 2011, she voiced a character in an episode of The Simpsons. In 2012, she guest-starred in Drop Dead Diva and Hot in Cleveland.
Joan Rivers released her 11th book, I Hate Everyone...Starting with Me, in 2012. It became a New York Times Best Seller. She released her 12th book, Diary of a Mad Diva, in 2014. This book also became a best seller and won her a Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album in 2015 after her death.
Her Comedy Style
During her 55-year career, Joan Rivers was known for her direct and satirical humor. Some people praised it as truthful, while others found it too personal or harsh. However, her ability to "tell it like it is" made her a pioneer in stand-up comedy. She often made jokes about her own life and about celebrities.
Joan, who was Jewish, sometimes made jokes about sensitive topics. She said she used humor to remind people about difficult events. She received many threats throughout her career. Joan believed that if you want to be a satirist, you cannot be afraid to speak your mind.
When she was a young comedian, she worked hard to find her unique style. She learned to be "self-reliant" and to make intelligent people laugh. She said she was "really born as a comedian at Second City."
In 1965, comedian Bill Cosby suggested Joan Rivers for The Tonight Show. Johnny Carson liked her intimate and conversational style. Time magazine compared her humor to Woody Allen's, saying she knew "how to be neurotic about practically everything." Joan herself said she was like Allen because she talked about things that affected their generation.
Joan Rivers' humor was also special because it challenged what was considered normal for women. She broke down old rules in comedy, which helped open the way for other female comedians like Roseanne Barr and Ellen DeGeneres.
Joan Rivers became famous for her catchphrase: "Can we talk?".
Personal Life
Joan Rivers was one of only four Americans invited to the Wedding of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles in 2005.
Family Life
Joan's first marriage in 1956 to James Sanger lasted only six months and was annulled. She married Edgar Rosenberg on July 15, 1965. Their only child, Melissa Rivers, was born on January 20, 1968. Joan also had one grandson, Cooper, born in 2000. Cooper appeared with his mother and grandmother in the TV series Joan & Melissa: Joan Knows Best?. Joan was married to Edgar until he passed away in 1987.
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In her book Bouncing Back, Joan Rivers wrote about a difficult time in her life after Edgar's death. She also had a long relationship with Orin Lehman, a disabled World War II veteran.
Helping Others
Joan Rivers was a kind person who supported many charities. She helped causes related to HIV/AIDS. In 1985, she appeared at a Comic Relief event to raise money for the AIDS Medical Foundation. She supported the Elton John AIDS Foundation and God's Love We Deliver, which provides meals to people with HIV/AIDS in New York City. In 2008, the City of San Diego praised her for her work helping the HIV/AIDS community.
She also supported Guide Dogs for the Blind, an organization that provides guide dogs to blind people. She gave money to Jewish charities and animal welfare groups. Other organizations she helped included Rosie's Theater Kids, Habitat for Humanity, and the Human Rights Campaign.
Passing Away
On August 28, 2014, Joan Rivers had serious problems during a minor throat procedure. She stopped breathing and was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital. She passed away on September 4, never waking up from a medically induced coma. The medical examiner said she died from brain damage due to lack of oxygen.
After investigations, officials said the clinic made several mistakes during the procedure.
On September 7, a private memorial service was held for Joan Rivers at Temple Emanu-El in Manhattan. About 1,500 people attended, including many of her celebrity friends and public figures. Howard Stern gave the eulogy, calling Joan "a troublemaker, trailblazer, pioneer for comics everywhere." Melissa Rivers read a funny note to her mother. Some of Joan's ashes were scattered by her daughter in Wyoming.
Tributes and Reactions
After Joan Rivers' death, friends, fans, and celebrities shared their sadness and paid tribute. Many comedians said Joan influenced their careers. Kathy Griffin called Joan her "mentor." Chris Rock said she was "the hippest comedian from the time she started to the day she died." Don Rickles remembered the fun times they had working together. Carol Burnett called Joan "the poster child for the Energizer Bunny."
Many talk show hosts, including Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, Oprah Winfrey, and David Letterman, honored Joan. Letterman called her a "real pioneer for other women looking for careers in stand-up comedy." Jon Stewart said Joan Rivers was one of the few truly "groundbreaking talents" in comedy. Howard Stern dedicated an entire show to her. Sarah Silverman paid tribute to Joan on Saturday Night Live. Whoopi Goldberg tweeted that her friend Joan Rivers had passed away. Comedian Louis C.K. said, "I looked up to her. I learned from her. I loved her." Amy Schumer called Joan the bravest female comedian.
Political figures also paid tribute. Former First Lady Nancy Reagan said Joan was one of the "funniest people I ever knew." Charles, Prince of Wales and his wife Camilla said she was "utterly irreplaceable." Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu noted that Joan was "proud of her Jewish heritage." Donald Trump attended her funeral and tweeted that she "was an amazing woman and a great friend." Melissa Rivers said she received a letter from President Barack Obama, who wrote that Joan "not only did she make us laugh, she made us think."
Who Influenced Joan Rivers
Joan Rivers was greatly influenced by Lenny Bruce. As a female comedian, she also looked up to other women in comedy. These included Phyllis Diller, Fanny Brice, Sophie Tucker, and Elaine May. Her early comedy was shaped by vaudeville and Borscht Belt comedy.
In the 1960s and 1970s, Joan worked with comedians like Lenny Bruce, Woody Allen, Richard Pryor, and George Carlin. Even though they were friends, she sometimes felt left out because of unfair practices against women in the comedy world.
Comedians Influenced by Joan Rivers
Many famous comedians have said that Joan Rivers influenced them. These include Kathy Griffin, Sarah Silverman, Margaret Cho, Amy Schumer, Whoopi Goldberg, Chelsea Handler, Louis C.K., Roseanne Barr, and David Letterman. Many critics and journalists consider her a pioneer for women in comedy.
Awards and Honors
Joan Rivers received many awards and honors throughout her career.
- In 1984, she was named "Woman of the Year" by Hasty Pudding Theatricals.
- In 1990, she won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Talk Show Host for The Joan Rivers Show. She was nominated for this award several other times.
- In 1994, she was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for her role in Sally Marr...and her Escorts.
- In 2015, she won a Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album for her book Diary of a Mad Diva.
- On July 26, 1989, she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
- In 2013, Joan and her daughter Melissa were honored by the Ride of Fame in New York City. A double-decker tour bus was dedicated to them.
- In 2022, Joan Rivers was inducted into the National Comedy Center in Jamestown, New York.
Images for kids
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Rivers in 1966
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Rivers with Jim Connell and Jake Holmes in "Jim, Jake & Joan", circa early 1960s
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Rivers in 1987
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Rivers poses for a photograph at The Pierre hotel in New York City on May 24, 2001.
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Rivers performing in her show at the 2008 Edinburgh Festival Fringe
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Rivers with her daughter, Melissa, during New York Fashion Week 2012
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Rivers in 1967
