Contrary to reports released earlier this week, Joan Rivers is apparently keeping her lips shut when it comes to her Fashion Police writers on strike. (Can someone poke her with a stick to make sure she’s still alive?)
According to a lawsuit filed by the show’s writers early last month, staff members work up to 16 hours a day writing material for the aging comedy queen hag, only to be rewarded with a paycheck Ms. Rivers thinks is more than “appropriate”—anywhere from $500-$630 a week.
While we were trying to figure out why an established comedienne has to hire joke writers, a source from inside the scorned writer’s circle emailed to let us know that Joan is not budging or communicating with them (probably because she’s getting high with Melissa somewhere).
Regarding a quote released by the network, claiming Joan is being cooperative, our source says:
How about we take this to the next level?
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The quote about Joan going on record in support of us is not from Joan herself, but rather an E! spokesperson. The truth is that Joan refuses to discuss the strike with us and is in fact NOT supporting our efforts to get a WGA contract.
The quote also says that she wants “a fair agreement” for us. Notice that it doesn’t says she wants a WGA contract for us. Both Joan and E! think that our current pay situation is a fair agreement, which is why we’re on strike.
Furthermore, Examiner reports that recent episodes of Fashion Police are fueled by scab workers, which explains the show’s diminishing quality over the last month.
Hopefully Joan will wise up and reach some kind of agreement with her writers. As someone who spent the majority of her autobiographical documentary crying over lack of work and funds, she doesn’t have much empathy.
Taurox
Damn, whats with all the Joan River hate in this write up? Not a very unbiased story I guess.
Plus you ask what comedian has to hire comedy writers? Um all of them?
mandin39
Joan who?
shle896
Oh just shut up. This is between the writers and the network. Joan has NOTHING to do with it and if you were doing this story on anybody else (a man especially) you wouldn’t lay the blame at the feet of the star of the show. Get a grip. Joan ROCKS and is better than ever. Your story is snarky and factually incorrect.
shle896
@Taurox: My sentiments exactly. All comedians and shows employ writers and the talent has absolutely NO say in what they are paid. It must be a slow news day for you people.
QJ201
Seriously. If writing was based on quality…they are already overpaid.
16 hours days…yes sitting around bouncing around ideas. No one is tied to a computer getting carpal tunnel typing for 16 hours straight.
sweetbrandigirl2004
OMG ! You mean she’s still alive ? I thought she had been stuffed and put on exhibit at the Wax Museum years ago….Dried up old hag !
mramseymd
Is there anyone here who’s had to live on $24,000/yr? Is there anyone here who thinks that a whole-hearted endorsement of improved pay for the writers by Joan Rivers wouldn’t make a difference? Better yet- is there anyone here who thinks that Joan is allowed to speak out about this? I guarantee you she has a contract that forbids her from speaking publicly about internal disputes. She’s old, she hasn’t saved, and she needs this job because it’s likely her last. E! is controlling PR, and Joan has no control over the words coming out of her mouth.
tdx3fan
The ability to replace someone is what really dictates their salary. There are tons of people who would still love to learn from and work with Joan Rivers. There are also tons of people that would like to have that on their resume. There are also tons of comedy writers. Therefore, $24k is a very thinkable salary, and they really should not be demanding more. If they want to earn more money then maybe they should have gotten real jobs which required real education.
tdx3fan
@QJ201: If they did not want to work 16 hour days, perhaps they could work more efficiently and be better at what they do. They work 16 hour days because they have a deadline that they have to meet. If you are good at meeting deadlines, you do not have to work 16 hour days to do so.
tdx3fan
@mramseymd: I’ve spent the vast majority of the last 34 years living on $10k a year, and still accomplishing things that I wanted accomplish. Its called managing your finances and knowing your limitations. I have no empathy for someone who has made the horrible decisions that allow them to be a “comedy” writer and earn $24k a year.
boring
The anti-writing sentiment in the last couple of posts is sadface wrong.
kennetho9322
I hate reading these Queerty stories… mainly because of the ill-manned, snotty, panty wastes who are too stupid to know who Joan Rivers is. She’s been a champion of Gay Rights long before you were an amoeba. But it’s just “oh so fun” to pick on the seniors in our community who did so much to advance our standing in society. But you know what? Go ahead and laugh. I’m guessing the straights are trying to figure who the dumb ones are among us before they start thinning the herd (with all those guns they’ve been stock piling).
TinoTurner
You think Joan wields any power? She’s hired help….the network makes all monetary decisions….I’m certain she doesn’t get paid well for the show herself. For the geniuses making fun of her plastic surgery and age….bravo….bravo, you’re very talented.
Aries3dc
It’s truly shameful that a gay blog would so quickly take a knife to one of our biggest, and longest-running allies. But I suppose ignorance is bliss. Also, all comedians have writers. Jon Stewart has an army of them. Joan has nothing to with the writer’s pay — that’s a network issue.
hephaestion
$24,000/year? You can’t even rent a grimy efficiency apartment in Appalachia for that much.
Icebloo
Joan is a REPUBLICAN. What do you expect ? She only cares about herself and not paying a fair share of taxes on her millions. She has only ever been all about herself and her bank account.
Joan is NOT our friend. She has done NOTHING for gay people. She is yet another straight who has sucked money from the gay community but given nothing back. She has used us & we have made her rich. It’s time idiot gays stopped idolizing these straight people who CLAIM to support us but actually do NOTHING for us. Cher, Joan, Kathy Griffin, Madonna, Gaga, Bette Midler – the list is endless). WAKE UP !
ACTIONS speak louder than WORDS.
I boycotted this self absorbed bitc* years ago when I found out she was a REPUBLICAN. She is ugly on the inside and ugly on the outside.
Polaro
I have been a fan and defended Joan Rivers for decades. Even during those years when she really was not that funny. This, however, will sour me on the woman forever. She should be thankful for this rejuvenation of her career, and it is the writers who have done it. Left to her own devices, she can be painfully unfunny. Greed does not become her.
contos
@Icebloo: Since the early 1980’s Joan Rivers has performed for countless AIDS fundraising events. In 1984 she was featured at a fundraiser at Studio One, and raised money for APLA and other new AIDS service organizations when virtually NO ONE was doing ANYTHING to support AIDS organizations. When she won Celebrity Apprentice she donated her $125,000 winnings to God’s Love We Deliver, an organization that provides healthy meals to homebound New York City residents with AIDS. She is a supporter of The Human Rights Campaign, Elton John AIDS Foundation, and BID 2 BEAT AIDS. She did a video for the HRC in support of marriage equality. She officiated the same-sex wedding of Preston Bailey and Theo Bleckmann. She recently joined the fundraising campaign supporting a gay Israeli couple who wants to have a surrogate child in the U.S. To say “she has done NOTHING for gay people” is an outrageous misstatement of the truth.
Polaro
i love it when people get all high-and-mighty and are completely clueless. Melissa Rivers is a producer of the show, so, Melissa is involved in how much the writers are paid. It is not the network that decides this, it is the producers. So, maybe we should not pile on Joan, we should pile on Melissa. But, we all know Joan calls the shots. Melissa did not get the job on talent. Just because Joan is “gay friendly” does not mean she can’t be a mean, cheap “person”. Saddens me to say it and I hope to be proven wrong.
Niall
I’m more surprised that the writer thinks every comedian write their own stuff. Surrreee