Joan Rivers
This season, comedienne Joan Rivers will bring her brash, explosive brand of comedy to Celebrity Apprentice. Will she rub The Donald the wrong way or will her ground-breaking comedic talents humor him?
Joan Rivers was born in Brooklyn, New York on June 8, 1933. She graduated from Barnard College in 1954 with a B.A. in English and anthropology. After working as a fashion consultant, Joan decided to seek fame and fortune in show business. Along with Phyllis Diller, Joan was one of the original female comediennes. During the ‘60s, she was a popular draw on shows like “The Tonight Show” and “The Ed Sullivan Show.” She also served as a writer and performer for “Candid Camera.”
Joan’s star really began shining in the ‘70s when she appeared on a number of variety and comedy shows including “The Carol Burnett Show.” She served as the narrator for “The Adventures of Letterman,” a part of “The Electric Company.” Also during the ‘70s, Joan opened for singer Helen Reddy in Las Vegas. By the ‘80s, she would headline her own standing room only shows in Vegas, with her live material featured on the “What Becomes a (Semi) Legend Most?” album. Her most famous line is “Can we talk?”
Joan was such a frequent guest host of “The Tonight Show” in the ‘80s that in 1983, she was named the permanent guest host. There was talk of her possibly replacing Johnny Carson as the host when he retired. But, when Joan took a gig on the rival Fox network, it drove a wedge between the two which their friendship would never recover. Joan’s Fox show only lasted a year.
Joan was the host of “The Joan Rivers Show” from 1989 until 1994. From 1997 until 2003, she hosted a radio show on WOR in New York. She has authored eight books including “Enter Talking,” which appeared on the NY Times bestseller list.
Joan became famous for her red carpet commentary both on E! Entertainment Television and the TV Guide channel. Daughter Melissa Rivers, who will also appear on this season’s “Celebrity Apprentice” joined her in interviewing celebrities and critiquing their fashion. Joan appears regularly on The Shopping Channel and QVC where she sells her “Joan Rivers Collection” jewelry. She appeared as a hijacker in the UK version of “Big Brother” in 2008 and also appeared on NBC’s “Celebrity Family Feud.”
Joan is involved in the God’s Love We Deliver and Guide Dogs for the Blind charities. She is an active member of PETA.
Read these other great entries