Comedian Joan Rivers lost her comedic touch more than a few years ago, but that hasn’t stopped her from staging a number of offensive publicity stunts recently to drum up talk for her new book, Diary of A Mad Diva.
After referring to President Obama as the “first gay president” and the First Lady as a “tranny” on Thursday, Rivers walked out of a CNN interview last night because she was grilled about her history of unfunny and terribly offensive material. Turns out she can dish it but can’t take it.
When asked about her choice to offer primarily “mean” critiques during Fashion Police, the show for which she pays her writers pennies, Rivers exclaimed that her critiques are “not mean,” and that she only says “the same things that all your viewers say to their friends sitting next to them on the couch.”
When pressured further to admit that she has a tendency to joke about things “that seem off-limits to a lot of people,” Joan got her panties in a bunch and refused to continue with the “defensive” and “negative” interview. “I’ve made people laugh for 50 years, I am put on Earth to make people laugh, my book is funny!,” she said, shortly before storming off.
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CNN anchor Fredricka Whitfield is admittedly one of the most obnoxious and condescending people sitting behind the CNN news desk, but that doesn’t justify Joan’s temper tantrum.
So… um…. good luck with the book, Joan.
Sweet Boy
The senile grannie got her knickers in a bunch….LOL
AxelDC
“Don’t you know who I am???”
Maude
Fredericka is rude, crude no talent bitch without an ounce of decency, and less than nothing on the scale of humility.
JMac2014
The irony in this story is that the reporter starts by asking Joan if people should get upset over things she says on her show about the way they look, dress, etc. She says no – But then Joan gets uber upset when the reporter starts turning the tables on her – I think Joan was way over the top and unprofessional in this situation. I’ve lost all respect.
Qjersey
CNN is becoming the “Hollywood Xtra” of “news”
Mezaien
@Qjersey: You have not seen CNN in other country. It`s a lot worst and gives the USA very bad name.
Desert Boy
At 81 year of age, Joan Rivers still know how to generate headlines. As for Fredricka Whitfield, she’s a moron.
justSomeGuyFromNJ
@Maude: What the hell are you talking about? Decency and humility towards…a vicious comedian? LOL
justSomeGuyFromNJ
@Mezaien: Really? At noon here on the east coast, they used to air an hour of CNN International and I enjoyed it much more than the other 23 hours. LOL
Chevelter
You can see why her husband Edgar killed himself.
Kieran
Poor Joan. If she had just joked that Pope Francis is gay and Ann Coulter is a tr*nny everything would have been cool. But you must remember the rules of Political Correctness people.
Ihadtosayit
Hmmmm…curious that she does this stunt with a newly released book out…the celebrities here in America ( and throughout the world)….use the media and those who are watching to line their pockets with the money that we work hard for all the while distancing themselves from us, common folks…that is the true goal of all of this from books, to music, to just about everything…peddling these things to us as consumers…no thank you…
If I want a book, music or DVD (movie)…I just wait and get it from the public library…you know I have started counting how much money I have saved by doing this since 2003 and the grand total is a truly staggering
http://www.riversideca.gov/library/services_calculator.asp
http://www.lelandtownshiplibrary.michlibrary.org/library-return-on-investment-calculator.html
I am 46 and I do not feel that I have missed anything but my pockets are lined with patience and my hard earned money
enfilmigult
Honestly? I think the tantrum was excused in this case. She was asked about her being “mean,” she gave a perfectly good and detailed answer, and then the interviewer wouldn’t get off it for some reason. She was there for a softball appearance to plug her book for goodness’ sake, not to have an awakening on camera and vow to go into Lily Tomlin-style gentle humor. I think when you get as old as Joan Rivers has, you’re really under no obligation to actively waste your time.
Paco
I don’t understand what the big deal is. I’ve seen far more offensive comments here on Queerty about gays and trans people, and those people weren’t joking. Joan hasn’t said anything that many bitchy queens haven’t said about others every weekend with their friends while sipping fruity alcoholic drinks at a gay bar. She is tame compared to some of the viciousness I have witnessed from gay men about other gay men. When will we start expecting our own to sanitize their public opinions the way we expect everyone else to?
Ihadtosayit
@Paco: SNAP…true…the mirror can be a tiny and small place…
Lvng1tor
The problem is that Joan was on to discuss her book. There are pre set guidelines that are set up for this type of press. The interviewer clearly wanted to “get” Joan.It would be a highlight in this lady’s demo reel..Joan will do what she wants. She’s taken more shit, opened more doors, smashed more ceilings and done great things for Women and LGBTQ. I didn’t find the “tr@nn&” thing funny and thought the structure of the joke was bad too. Not gonna get all pissy over what an 81yr old icon says off the cuff when her actions clearly relay another message….tr@nsph0bic my ass…bad joke sure. Light the torches!
Stache99
@JMac2014: You nailed it. Hypocrisy at it’s finest.
BJ McFrisky
Oh, grow up, people. Grow up!
masc4masc
We’re STILL crying about this? Much ado about nothing. Get over it, guys. And if you wanna talk about obnoxious, Fredricka is NOTHING compared to Ms. Donna Lemon.
trelin
@Lvng1tor: You said it perfectly! Bravo!
MrEguy
Joan has been outrageous, risquée, and hilarious for decades before that little CNN bìtch was born.
northwest
Ugly face, uglier attitude. Joan Rivers is trash.
NateOcean
“I’ve made people laugh for 50 years…”
Yes, Joan, but are the laughing WITH you, or AT you?
money718
CNN is garbage.
vive
Hey, Joan Rivers has always been the funniest female comedian around. Certainly much funnier than this b@tchy article devoid of any sense of humor.
Gothrykke
The reporter was a smug bitch trying to land something more substantial, driving a narrative that was purely scripted. CNN loves these kind of moments and Joan was quick to oblige, and was justified. If this was staged on Joan’s part, I’m sick of these kind of stunts. I think it was more that the ‘reporter’ was hand selected because she is a smug Heather, and was given free rein to push a few talking points that would get a reaction. CNN likes to fling these vile personalities at the public.
tjr101
That pic of Frederica smiling and laughing is kinda funny. You can see the glee in her face, she’s enjoying the moment of putting the heat back on Joan.
lykeitiz
Considering she’s plugging a book called “Diary of a Mad DIVA”, storming off an interview set seems to be the perfect thing to do.
Cam
@Homosexualists are confused perverts that were not born that way:
I hope you realize that anybody who spends so much time worrying about gays to come onto a gay website and rant is obviously a closet case. Seriously, we all know it, you aren’t fooling anybody. So nice try homo.
Lvng1tor
@Cam: It’s a troll why waste your time!
Stefano
@Cam : you may be right…or he is just recruit by Queerty to make comments that are offensive…
Cam
One thing I do think is B.S. about the interview is the host attacking Rivers for not being nice about the fashions that people where that her show comments on.
Hollywood had become this odd sheltered land where nobody ever said anything to celebs. With social media that all changed. If the audience didn’t like Rivers show it would have been cancelled.
As for the interview, Rivers is a cranky old lady and has been since she was 20 years old, but when you go on to do a book review, all of this stuff is discussed before the start. So either the CNN host went off script from what was promised, or it was choreographed to get Rivers’s book some attention.
As for her calling President Obama gay well he should thank her for the compliment. And as for calling his wife a Tr*nny, if I was Rivers, and had enough botox and filler to look like a rubber faced monster I would be careful about what I called others.
YouGoGurl
The LGBT community owes a lot to Ms. Rivers, and I’m a grateful fan.
As for the CNN interview: 1. the interviewer blows and is a total lightweight and 2. any producer worth their salt knows that you don’t load several attack questions at the top of an interview or at least have a talent who can do immediate damage control.
vive
“Roasting” celebrities is what Joan Rivers does, she does so in a very funny and witty way, she makes at least as much fun of herself, it is her schtick, and she is actually less shocking and “nicer” than younger comediennes like Sarah Silverman, Cathy Griffin, and others who owe a lot to Rivers.
You young queers (and Queerty writers, and CNN know-nothing talking heads) who know nothing about her and her brand of humor and pile on her based on selected quotes taken out of context, there is no insult you have hurled at her that she hasn’t said about herself already, and in a much funnier way too.
grethomory
Boo Hoo, poor Joan, she can dish it out, but she can’t take it. Boo Hoo Hoo. Seems that she should know by now that if you’re going to be a bitch you should be able to take it like one. No sympathy for that vile woman.
jar
@Lvng1tor: What all has Joan Rivers done for the LGBT community?
jar
@YouGoGurl: What exactly do we “owe” to Joan Rivers?