The battle between Joan Rivers and the writers of Fashion Police rages on.
In a statement released yesterday, the show’s writers, who have now been on strike for seven months, accused the geriatric funny lady of being a “hypocrite” and said she “must held accountable for the lies she tells while her writing staff continues to suffer”, after a recent interview she did with Splitsider.
During the interview, Rivers called the situation a “sloppy mess” and accused her writers of being “assholes,” “idiots” and “schmuck writers.”
Her comments have been construed as a direct reversal of her position on the matter just a month ago when she said, “It’s time for both sides to sit down at the table and negotiate… We all want the same thing – to get this behind us – so let’s make this deal!” And it has many Fashion Police writers angrier than ever.
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The tension between Rivers and her writers began back in April, when the writers announced they were going on strike, citing they were underpaid and owed more than $1.5 million in wages and overtime. In a lawsuit, they claimed they worked as many as 16 hours a day but only earned between $500-630 a week, for a grand total of around $25,000 a year, which is just slightly higher than the average salary of a Walmart employee.
Sounds like a pretty shitty deal to us. Especially considering that Fashion Police has been a hit show for the E! network for the past three years.
Initially, writers sought Rivers’ help in getting the money they felt they deserved from network execs. Rivers isn’t in charge of salary decisions, but she does have some influence over the matter. But rather than supporting her team, the Botoxed biddy told them to go to hell. And, evidently, seven months later she still feels that way.
Hey, the woman’s gotta pay for her plastic surgery somehow. If that means squeezing it out of underpaid, overworked writers, so be it.
It’s unclear what will happen next in this ongoing saga, but it will no doubt involve a lot more mudslinging and four letter words.
Polaro
Greedy kunt.
nysteve
Joan Rivers has got to be the UGLIEST looking old woman I’ve seen! She just needs to go away!!
QJ201
I doubt having “Fashion Police” as one of their “writing” credits will get them much work elsewhere.
jckfmsincty
She wants to fight with everybody.
buybioniconitunes
it amazes me that Joan, whose job is to be funny, relies heavily on writers to come up with those crude one liners that she uses on her show.
whatisthis
I love Joan. She makes me laugh, but seven months of striking? Just give them their damn money and be done with it, Christ…
Rockery
I think she is hilarious on that show
Kieran
I’m surprised they haven’t outsourced these writing jobs to lower pay (with no benefits) laborers in India or China like millions of other jobs in America. The 21st century global economy has been great for the greedy, filthy rich robber barons and terrible for American workers.
Sukhrajah
Who? Seriously, we’ll talk about this in a month when she passes away. Why is this here, though? What is the queer angle of this piece?
Sweet Boy
Does actually anybody watch that crap?
Snapper59
Joan is a legend who has proven she can come up with things on the fly, and this oh-woe-is-the-writers seems to be continually rehashed here because someone is friends of someone.
HirsuteOne
Read the linked interview. Rivers didn’t “accuse” anybody, she used those words the way you would expect Joan Rivers to use them. She wasn’t directly calling anyone a schmuck or assho*e.
orcanyc
Shocking that she is not supporting her writer’s. I used to like her, no more
petensfo
Considering how many times people have tried to screw her over the years, I’d be surprised (if the claim is valid) that she wouldn’t back them up.
Barry Diller, Johnny Carson, the networks, the ostracizing of her husband before his suicide & more… the woman knows Hollywood nastiness. Something just doesn’t add up here.
EdgarCarpenter
Do TV writers really make $25,000 a year? Really? Why would they take such a job, and work 16 hours a day at it? If it’s true, it’s mind-boggling. Idiots.