Joan Rivers Was The Queen Of Comedy...And Tragedy
Joan Rivers was probably one of the funniest women alive, but her private life was no laughing matter. When Fox TV heartlessly fired her and her husband, it triggered a tragic event that few could ever recover from. Luckily, Rivers had friends in high places, and she valiantly put her career back together one step at a time.
Her golden years should have been a calm time—but she still had one more tragedy to face.
1. She Had An Alter Ego
Joan Rivers was born in New York City's Brooklyn borough on June 8, 1933. Her parents were Russian Jewish immigrants, Beatrice and Meyer C Molinsky, and she had an older sister named Barbara. But that wasn't enough for Rivers. At the age of eight, she created an alter ego that she named J Sondra Meredith.
Of course, she still needed an education.
2. She Went To Privileged Schools
Not only did Rivers attend elite schools, but she also excelled at them. She was the co-chair of the Adelphi Academy of Brooklyn. Here she performed in the School Cavalcades and became vice-president of the drama club. She graduated in 1951 when she was 18 years old, growing into a young woman with a promising future.
Rivers certainly had the brains—but that couldn't save her from a devastating college experience.
Harry Langdon, Wikimedia Commons
3. She Suffered In College
The Rivers family had a tradition of attending Connecticut College, and Rivers followed in their footsteps. But behind the scenes, she struggled in a shocking way. Even before she reached college, Rivers had a poor body image, finding fault with her weight. On the surface, though, she continued to succeed, eventually moving on to Barnard College.
However, there are some parts of Joan Rivers' life story that raise some red flags. Perhaps unsurprisingly, when it came to the cold hard facts, she had a knack for inflating the truth.
4. It Was Hard To Tell Fact From Fiction
At some point, Joan Rivers claimed that she was a member of Phi Beta Kappa and that she graduated with the distinction of summa cum laude. The Washington Post reported these same two facts. Her biographers, James Spada and Leslie Bennetts, had a wildly different story to tell. According to them, neither claim was true. But that was just the tip of the iceberg.
There was also a fishy story regarding a scandalous kiss.
5. There Was A Story About Streisand
Joan Rivers did indeed appear in a play alongside iconic singer and actor Barbra Streisand—Driftwood. However, the alleged story under suspicion is Rivers' claim that she kissed Streisand during the production. However, as neither of them shared a scene, this juicy tidbit doesn't seem to have any legs to stand on.
As we'll see, Rivers' flair for the dramatic would only grow stronger over time.
Unknown authorUnknown author, Wikimedia Commons
6. She Did Odd Jobs
Joan Rivers eventually graduated from Barnard College with a BA in English literature and anthropology. It’s hard to say if this degree prepared her for her first jobs. She was a Rockefeller Center tour guide, copywriter, and fashion consultant. She had an agent named Tony Rivers, and he told her that if she wanted to be famous, she had to stop using the name Joan Molinsky.
Rivers shocked him with her next move.
7. She Took His Name
Tony Rivers had told her to change to a stage name, but he clearly didn’t expect her to take his own name. But that’s exactly what Rivers did. She later joked that after she started going by Joan Rivers, he stopped sending her out on auditions. Weirdly, she’d take her agent’s name but not her husband’s.
8. She Cancelled It
While working as a fashion consultant at Bond Clothing Stores, Joan Rivers met James Sanger, who was the merchandising manager's son. In 1955, the two married. Shortly after the marriage, Rivers got a shocking surprise. Sanger announced that he didn’t want to have children—ever. So, six months after the wedding, Rivers got an annulment.
This was certainly no joke. But Rivers started telling them anyway.
9. She Met Some Influential People
Rivers had a sense of humor, and she started showing it off on stage. The early 1960s saw her at comedy clubs in New York's Greenwich Village. While doing this, she made some influential friends like Woody Allen and George Carlin. She also worked with musicians like Bob Dylan, Carly Simon, and Simon & Garfunkel.
Things were going well in the Big Apple, but Rivers wasn't satisfied.
10. She Tossed Her Way To Success
New York just wasn’t enough for Rivers, and in 1961, she moved to Chicago. Her plan was to join The Second City. At her audition, she surprised everyone by throwing an ashtray across the stage. Despite this, or maybe because of it, they gave her a role. She later would say, "I was really born as a comedian at Second City. I owe it my career".
Next, she’d join an iconic threesome.
11. She Found Two Others
In the early 1960s, Rivers joined up with comedians Jim Connell and Jake Holmes. The three of them became the trio "Jim, Jake & Joan". They even appeared in a beatnik movie called Once Upon A Coffee House. But this trio was heading for collapse. And it was all because of Rivers' stubbornness.
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images
12. She Was Stubborn
Jim, Jake & Joan got a gig performing at a rally for senator hopeful Bobby Kennedy. When Rivers showed up for the rally, she was sporting a button for Republican nominee Kenneth Keating. Connell advised Rivers to take the button off, and Rivers flatly refused. Connell’s famous parting words were, “Who needs you, anyway?”
Rivers walked away from her partners and into a marriage.
13. She Married Her Co-Worker
In 1965, Rivers got a job rewriting a screenplay that would feature comedic legend Peter Sellers. It was a sweet job, as she would be working on the script in sunny Jamaica. The man who hired her was Edgar Rosenberg. Rivers wasted no time. Five days after her date of hire, the two tied the knot.
But marriage wouldn’t stop Rivers from her relentless pursuit of fame.
14. She Made A Famous Friend
Rivers continued working on her stand-up and also got a guest appearance on a popular show. This was The Tonight Show, which at this time had Jack Paar as its host. When Johnny Carson took the role as host, Rivers wanted to be on it even more. After seven auditions, she got it, and Carson said to her, "you're gonna be a star".
Rivers and Carson became friends, but there was darkness in their future.
15. She Had Time For Family
Rivers made repeated appearances on Carson’s show. She also appeared on shows like The Ed Sullivan Show, The Mike Douglas Show, The Dick Cavett Show, and Girl Talk with Virginia Graham. Her fame was soaring, but she still had time for a family. On January 20, 1968, she gave birth to Melissa Rivers.
She even managed to use her experience as a mother to reach yet another career milestone.
Kathleen Ballard, Los Angeles Times, Wikimedia Commons
16. She Didn’t Waste Time
From the outside, it must have seemed like Rivers was becoming a workaholic. She wrote and published a book about pregnancy and motherhood. She called it Having a Baby Can Be a Scream. She later said the book was a "catalogue of gynaecological anxieties". But writing a book wasn't the end of her many talents.
John Mathew Smith & www.celebrity-photos.com from Laurel Maryland, USA, Wikimedia Commons
17. She Told Her Story
After a failed talk show and a short run on Broadway, Rivers put pen to paper and wrote a movie. The Girl Most Likely To… is a made-for-TV black comedy which vaguely mirrors Rivers’ own college story. The main character, played by Stockard Channing, transforms herself through plastic surgery and goes on to exact revenge on the classmates who teased her. This film went on to become a cult classic.
Rivers liked the movie business, and she was ready to take it to the next terrifying level.
Screenshot from The Girl Most Likely To, ABC (1973)
18. She Went Out On A Limb
In 1978, Rivers had an idea for a movie but no money. She was so sure that her idea for a film about a pregnant man would be a hit that she took a wild risk and remortgaged her home. When that only got her half of what she needed, she got her father to remortgage his home as well. She also convinced some major stars to do cameos for next to nothing.
Rivers co-wrote and directed Rabbit Test, starring Billy Crystal. All her eggs were in this cinematic basket.
Screenshot from Rabbit Test, AVCO Embassy Pictures (1978)
19. She Was Crass And Unfunny
When Rabbit Test hit theaters, the critics were ready. In short, they destroyed Rivers’ movie, calling it things like a “tiresome farce," “crass and unfunny," and “among the year’s worst”. Rivers heavily promoted the movie with guest appearances at screenings. Against all odds, this film was a box office success.
But Rivers decided to stop directing and focus on what she did best.
Screenshot from Rabbit Test, AVCO Embassy Pictures (1978)
20. She Went Back To A Sure Thing
The early 1980s saw Rivers using her stand-up prowess to climb higher and higher. She played Carnegie Hall in February 1983. In March of that same year, she had a stand-up special called An Audience with Joan Rivers and hosted Saturday Night Live the next month. To top off the year, she released her comedy album What Becomes a Semi-Legend Most?, which snagged a Grammy nomination.
But there was one more honor coming her way.
21. She Got A Rare Honor
Remember, Johnny Carson had predicted that Rivers would be a star, and now she was. To further his respect for her, he made her a permanent guest on The Tonight Show. This was the first time he had done this. Rivers later described their relationship as a father-daughter dynamic. They had a super cozy relationship, but sadly, it would have a bitter end.
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images
22. She Got An Incredible Offer
Around 1986, Fox was launching their TV network. They were looking for a late-night talk show host, and they thought Rivers was right for the job. She would be the first woman to hold this position. But there was just one catch.
Underbelly Limited, Wikimedia Commons
23. There Was A Problem
When Fox released their schedule, it came out that Rivers’ late-night talk show would be on TV at 11 pm Eastern time. This meant it would be in direct competition with Carson’s show. Of course, the right thing for Rivers to do would be to call and tell Carson about this clash. But Rivers didn’t do that.
Screenshot from The Tonight Show, NBC (1954–), Modified
24. Her Call Was Too Late
Rivers didn't immediately call Carson to tell him that she was going to be his competition. She did eventually call, but she was too late. He’d already heard about it. When she finally connected with Carson, all she heard was the receiver slamming down. He’d hung up on her. Rivers later said that he saw it as a “complete betrayal”.
But this wasn’t over yet.
25. She Got Banned
Since she was putting herself up as a direct competitor to Carson’s show, he had to do something to punish her. What he came up with was a full ban on her ever appearing on The Tonight Show again. She didn’t appear when Carson was a host nor when his successors, Jay Leno and Conan O’Brien, were hosting—ultimately paying dearly for her misdeed.
Well, at least she still had her own show. Or did she?
Screenshot from The Tonight Show, NBC (1954–), Modified
26. She Got The Boot
The first night for The Late Show Starring Joan Rivers was October 9, 1986, but there was trouble from the beginning. Rivers had brought her husband along as the producer, and the suits at Fox didn’t want him. When Rivers wouldn’t budge, Fox got nasty.
27. She Stood By Him
On May 15, 1887, Fox made an aggressive move. They fired both Rivers and her husband. It looked like Rivers had valiantly stood by her husband, but then she did something heartless. In August of that same year, she asked Rosenberg for a separation. What happened next was a shock of a lifetime.
28. He Checked Out
On August 14, 1987, Rosenberg checked himself into a Philadelphia hotel room. He took a handful of prescription medication and passed. This was just four days after Rivers had suggested ending their marriage. Besides facing a terrible loss, Rivers would have to face the unforgiving media.
She had to put on her bravest face possible, even if she was crumbling on the inside.
29. She Tried To Explain It
On the surface, it looked like Rosenberg had ended his life because of the end of his marriage. Rivers was quick to point out that it was Fox who had humiliated him by firing him. She also said that Rosenberg was taking medication that made him depressed. Rivers was doing her best to deal with this horrible event. And then a guardian angel appeared.
30. She Got Help From An Influential Friend
One of the first people to reach out to Rivers after the tragedy was First Lady Nancy Reagan. She helped Rivers work through her feelings. She also helped to move Rosenberg’s body from Philadelphia. Rivers would have little time to mourn. There was even more trouble coming her way.
White House photo, Wikimedia Commons
31. She Said Some Nasty Things
Not long after her husband took his own life, a quote from Rivers appeared in GQ magazine. In the interview, Rivers had allegedly said some terrible things about her husband. One jaw-dropping line was: "Listen, when I think of the way he makes me crazy, I really wonder if they didn't execute the wrong Rosenbergs". As it turned out, the interview was a fake. Rivers sued the writer and won.
But she still had one more person to deal with.
32. She Faced Off With Her Daughter
After her husband’s demise, Rivers’ relationship with her daughter deteriorated. Melissa wasn't buying either the depression or the Fox humiliation explanation. She was sure that her father had ended his life because Rivers had asked for a separation. With her relationship with her only child in tatters, Rivers met with another devastating loss.
33. She Lost A Friend
Over the years, Rivers had formed a tight bond with her therapist. Not long after she lost her husband, her therapist passed due to an AIDS-related illness. Rivers said that, after these back-to-back and devastating tragedies, she developed bulimia nervosa. Suddenly, this woman, who also seemed to be laughing, was facing an unbearable sadness.
Rivers' world seemed to be collapsing around her—and she headed down a dangerous path.
34. She Went To A Dark Place
The loss of her husband and her therapist, and the estrangement from her daughter, left Rivers in a dark place. In a 2008 interview, she said that she soon had the idea to take her own life. She even had the pistol in her hand. It looked like the end for Rivers. But hope came from a surprising source.
David Shankbone, Wikimedia Commons
35. The Answer Jumped In Her Lap
Rivers said that she was ready to end her life, and then a miracle stopped her. Her little dog jumped into her lap. It was her treasured Yorkie, and she suddenly remembered how much she loved it. This event became a turning point in her life. She changed her mind and decided to live.
Now she had to get her career back on track.
36. She Took A Nosedive
After Fox fired her, Rivers’ career took a temporary nosedive. She slowly started bringing herself back into the limelight. She appeared in shows like 1989’s Pee-wee's Playhouse Christmas Special. She then got an honored position of sitting in the center square on the 1986 reboot of The Hollywood Squares.
But the always ambitious Rivers needed more.
Screenshot from Pee-wee's Playhouse Christmas Special, CBS (1989)
37. She Sunk To A Low Point
When a celebrity's career is winding down, there’s a place they can go as a last-ditch effort to stay afloat. This is QVC, the shopping channel. Rivers began designing her own line of clothing, jewelry, and beauty products, and hoped for the best. Well, she got more than that. Rivers’ products on QVC were very popular.
In fact, by 2014, they had taken in more than $1 billion. This amazing figure made her products one of QVC’s top sellers. But she still had a score to settle.
38. She Got A Do-Over
The Tonight Show with Joan Rivers had brought nothing but destruction to Rivers’ life. It ended her friendship with Johnny Carson and went up in flames right before her husband took his own life. On September 5, 1989, she got a chance to make things right. This was the debut of Rivers’ daytime talk show, The Joan Rivers Show. This show ran a respectable five seasons and snagged Rivers a Daytime Emmy in 1990.
She was on a roll and ready to exploit it.
39. She Changed The Red Carpet
When daughter Melissa joined Rivers on the red carpet working for E! Entertainment Television, they did something that wasn’t usually done. They had conversations with the red carpet dignitaries. Nowadays, this is pretty common, but it was Rivers and Melissa who started the trend.
While her star continued to soar, Rivers found love.
Frederick M. Brown, Getty Images
40. She Had A Second Chance
Rivers had been dating Orin Lehman, who was a WWII veteran and a commissioner for the Parks and Recreation Department of New York City. They eventually got engaged, and Rivers appeared headed for marriage once again. But in 2001, Lehman surprised everyone and ended the engagement.
However, her rocky love life wasn't the only gossip-worthy part of her life.
41. She Lost It
In 2002, Joan Rivers found herself in a sticky predicament of her own doing. She went to pick up a rental car in the Upper East Side, but when her driver had to wait in line, Rivers utterly lost her mind. She was so enraged by the slow customer service that Rivers threw a marker at the clerk. When the marker hit her in the eye, things escalated. But Rivers was in luck. Because there was no officer to witness the altercation, she walked away with the last laugh.
While this wasn’t Rivers at her best, she still got a call from some very important people across the pond.
ExpressingYourself, Wikimedia Commons
42. The Royals Really Liked Her
While some find Rivers’ humor crass, it does seem to appeal to the very posh royal family. They invited her to the 2005 wedding of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles on April 9, 2005. She was also one of only two American comedians to get the invite to comedically celebrate Prince Charles’ 60th birthday.
But her own marital record is hardly something to celebrate.
Anwar Hussein Collection/ROTA, Getty Images
43. She Wasn’t A One-Man Woman
There had always been speculation about the true nature of Rivers’ relationship with her husband. In 2012, she finally came clean with Howard Stern. She said that during her marriage to Rosenberg, she had affairs with actors Robert Mitchum and Gabriel Dell. Apparently, the list went even further.
Remember, she also sort of cheated on Johnny Carson in a platonic way...but no less brutal.
44. He Lifted The Ban
Remember, Rivers had double-crossed her father figure, Johnny Carson, and he’d banned her from his show for life. It wasn’t until Jimmy Fallon took the chair that she got a welcome back. She appeared on Fallon’s first episode on February 17, 2014. It’d been almost 30 years. Now that’s a long punishment.
This same year, she faced her final tragedy.
Screenshot from The Tonight Show, NBC (1954–)
45. It Was Supposed To Be A Simple Procedure
In 2014, Rivers had an appointment for a throat procedure at a clinic in Manhattan. During the minor procedure, there was trouble. Rivers stopped breathing. They brought her back and then quickly transferred her to Mount Sinai Hospital. Once there, they put her on life support. Sadly, Rivers never woke up and passed due to brain damage.
Her family, friends, and the world would now have to recover from this heartbreaking loss.
46. They Came To Say Goodbye
On September 7, 2014, there was a star-studded ceremony for Rivers at the Garden State Crematory in North Bergen, New Jersey. 1,500 people showed up for the event, and the notables included people like Whoopi Goldberg, Barbara Walters, Diane Sawyer, Matthew Broderick, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Rosie O'Donnell. Hugh Jackman sang, and Howard Stern delivered a moving eulogy.
It soon became clear that Rivers was not exactly who we thought she was.
47. She Was Almost A Saint
In his eulogy, Stern called Rivers “brassy in public, classy in private”. Not everyone got to see the class act that Rivers was. But she was more than that. She was also very generous. She appeared in a Comic Relief benefit for the AIDS Medical Foundation. She also got behind the Elton John AIDS Foundation. The city of San Diego acknowledged her hard work and even dubbed her “Joan of Arc”.
Soon, more celebs were coming out as Rivers’ supporters.
48. She Touched Many Lives
There was no shortage of performers singing Rivers’ praises after she passed. Kathy Griffin called her a mentor, and Chris Rock said she was “a force who always closed the show”. Tributes came from other comedians, TV hosts, and even politicians like Nancy Reagan and Barack Obama.
This heartwarming outpouring of support makes her unnecessary passing even more tragic.
Andy Witchger, Wikimedia Commons
49. There Was An Investigation
There seemed to be no obvious reason why Rivers’ minor procedure should lead to her demise. An investigation uncovered that there had been several mistakes made by the clinic. They didn’t adequately respond to her vital signs that were deteriorating quickly. They also hadn’t obtained her permission for performing the procedure in the first place. Melissa Rivers sued and ended up settling for an undisclosed amount.
Still, Rivers did manage to get that last laugh.
Alberto E. Rodriguez, Getty Images
50. She Was Full Of Plastic
Rivers had always been very open about the large amount of work she had done on her body. She detailed these procedures in her book with the subtitle, A Woman's Guide to Beauty Through Plastic Surgery. Because of all her plastic surgery, she once joked that when she passed, her body would be donated to Tupperware.
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