My biggest complaint was the feeling that she kind of shit all over my mother’s legacy in her statement on leaving. And I know that was not an intentional reading of it, but that’s how I felt. …By calling the comedy and the style of it old fashioned. It was like, I understand what you were doing, you’re trying to save yourself, but don’t crap all over my mother to do it. That was very personal. But as a professional, that was her choice, that’s what she did. No hard, no foul, moving on.”
— Melissa Rivers in an interview with Hoda Kotb that addressed Kathy Griffin’s controversial departure from Fashion Police, where she’d taken over the spot vacated by Rivers’ late mother Joan
H/t: EOnline
Darcy John
whatever the story I’m #TeamKathy
Alain Diaz
That seems extreme from Melissa. Kathy came in and tried things out, and felt she didn’t fit the job. She felt that making fun of people over how they dressed didn’t fit her comedy style (she makes fun of people because of their behavior and the context of their situations) or her personal beliefs and stepped down rather than continue something she didn’t feel comfortable with. How is the crapping on anything? If anything, I’m sure Joan would appreciate that.
Elizabeth Rodriguez
There is Melissa’s side, there is Kathy’s side, and there’s the truth.
Jay DiMase
She got her payday. Stop miling talent that obviously skipped a generation.
James Rouse Iñiguez
Sounds like something Joan would do, so maybe it’s a fitting tribute?
Kieran
Of course Joan Rivers loved Kathy Griffin. Kathy isn’t talented or funny. She’s just plain raunchy and downright annoying. She was absolutely no threat or competition to a truly gifted performer like Joan Rivers. In fact she probably made Joan seem even better by comparison. If Kathy was truly a talented and funny comedian, Joan would have hated her guts and ripped her to shreds.
Victor Barry
Everyone knew the reboot was a crap shoot after Joan died.
jorgecruz
Joan was in her 80’s and was funnier than pretty much every stand up out there. Most of them had one set and would do it over and over and over- Joan came up with new jokes every week. Yes she was provocative, but she didn’t get away with it because she was old. She got away with it because she was funny.
Kathy wasn’t funny and she knew it. She was dying on that set every week so she bailed at the first opportunity. I think Melissa is so upset because Joan did a lot to further the careers of female comedians in general and Kathy Griffin in particular. Kathy left not with a bang but a whimper. If she had any class she would make one more statement about the legacy of Joan Rivers and then never come to E again.
lauraspencer
Not a Kathy fan. Team Joan (and Melissa by default) all the way.
Mike Benevenstanciano
Melissa did worse. No talent entitled brat.
Christian Navarro
Melissa needs to shut up, she is nothing like her mother. We love Kathy and Joan, and we are just polite with Melissa, she better shut up before all falls on her and get shade away.
Jeffrey Thomas
Melissa your career died with your mother. Dont blame others for your own lack of actual talent.
Michael Estes
I loved Joan but seriously how many legacies did she crap on?–in fact, she built a career on it. Let’s get real.
Allan O'Shea
Really? Are we going there?
Saint Law
Joan Rivers was awful so God knows how crap this Kathy person must have been.
Tom Lozza
Say nothing.
Jay Willard Abbit
I’d say the last ten years of Joan’s career had done that already.
Manny Yoko
REST IN PEACE, Joan ð??¹
Patrick Riley
Somebody had to.
skipvanpelt
Melissa Rivers is a talentless gravy trainer. She’s just pissed that the train pulled out and left her at the station. Just STFU and spend your Mom’s money.
Cam
The problem was, Joan ran the show, the other people were only there to laugh at her jokes or look shocked at what she said. There wasn’t a lot of talent in the rest of the cast.
Kathy came in and was more subdued and didn’t seem to want to be the lead, and with that there wasn’t enough talent to keep the show going.
Stephen Hawthorne-Lockett
Joan Rivers was an amazing comic. The only thing that damaged her legacy was the fact that she forced her talentless daughter on the world.
Ronbo
Melissa Rivers is a no-talent spoiled brat who was lucky to win the sperm lottery. Otherwise, she’d still be working the drive-thru window at Burger Doodle.
I’m sorry that your mother is gone; now take the clue yourself and disappear.
Sweetie Pie
Melissa who?
Desert Boy
Kathy Griffin never said anything but kind and loving words about Joan Rivers. In fact, she’s often said she credits Joan Rivers for paving the way for her to have a career in comedy.
Melissa Rivers’ is understandably in pain over the death of her mother but to strike out at Kathy Griffin is pretty sick.
IvanPH
Sashay away, Melissa Rivers. You were just living under your mother’s shadow. She’s gone and your fame is in its near demise too.
MinnesotaNotNice
Kathy Griffin shares a common trait with Dane Cook…..no talent at all! Joan Rivers used to be a very funny comic, but she turned very bitter and unfunny for about the last decade of her career. Melissa’s career always followed in Joan’s wake…..Joan Knows Best, Fashion Police, The Apprentice, etc… and now that Joan is gone, that wake is gone and it has left Melissa’s career dead still in the water. Guess what? Shit happens to people in life and you either learn new skills and adapt or you wither away and die.
Clark35
It’s true Minnesota Kathy Griffin doesn’t have any talent and she’s not funny.
Mark Pilsnik
Joan had NO problem with Kathy…Melissa shut up.
Scott Stevenson
Screw Melissa and screw Joan. #teamkathy
OrlArno Barajas
Those shoes were too big to fill, Joan is a legend, kathy is not big enough yet.
Joshua Crum
Kathy Griffin hasn’t been funny in years.
Timothy Herbert
legacy of what, being hateful?
Tommy O'Brien
Agree with josh plus she was horrible on fashion police.
Mark Klein
Joan is rolling in her urn.
Merv
I still remember when Melissa was subbing for Juliana Rancic and tried to tell a tr@nny joke about Chaz Bono. Needless to say, it fell flat and the rest of the cast tried to pretend they didn’t hear her. Still, she must have thought it was funny because it stayed in the final edit and went to air. She just doesn’t understand comedy, which is very surprising considering who she grew up with. Joan, on the other hand, was talented enough to pull off a concentration camp joke and still stay just short of going over the line.
Jimm Wiedeman
If Joan were still here she would tell Melissa to shut up. Just saying.
Foster Billingsley
You know what… This is not Kathy’s fault. Fashion Police should have not returned after Joan’s death. This was her program and no one could replace her. If they did bring it back it had to be something different from what it was and not a duplicate. So… If Melissa is upset it’s not Kathy’s fault.
robho3
Melissa Rivers irritates me. If she wasn’t Joan Rivers daughter she would be working as asst manager at forever 21. Kathy did nothing wrong- Melissa is just pissed cause her she is dead- She wouldn’t have even had that show if it wasn’t for her mother. Shut up and go away Melissa!!!
Jeffqueer
Unfortunately, Joan was not appreciated until after she passed away. She was sharp until the end. Kathy is funny as well. Is she Joan? No one is. Melissa on the other hand has spent her entire life making a living off of her mother. I love that she says she plays “the straight guy” to Joan. The fact of the matter is Joan didn’t need anyone. I thik she was being a great mother to a daughter that was lost and had no other ambitions. She was brillian until the end. Melissa again holding onto her mother kept Fashion Police going when it should of just been retired. Now less than a year after her mother has passed she has a book out and out there creating “controversy” to sell books.
Will Gudmestad
Melissa is just running her mouth for the sake of publicity for her book. She was completely ok with bringing kathy onto the show and they even told her that there was no pressure for the show to carry on in her mother’s style. If anyone is to blame its guiliana who brought in her bs joke writer and tried to steal the thunder.
Low Country Boy
@skipvanpelt: Yes.
spiffy
No, no, and NO.
Kathy Griffin knew what the style of the show was coming in. The gossip was that she thought she could just show up and wing it… And it was an epic fail. Joan had writers (albeit not paying them very well, but that’s an entirely different topic) writing her tons of jokes for every episode. Kathy couldn’t hack it and tried to save face by throwing Joan’s legacy under the bus. Personally I think Melissa’s comment was quite diplomatic; Kathy essentially abandoned her supposedly mentor and friend’s daughter when Melissa needed the most support. I used to really like KG; but I lost a lot of respect for her over this whole fiasco.
And why all this hate for Melissa? Joan herself has credited her daughter for supporting her career over the years. Melissa is the executive producer of Fashion Police, which would have made her Joan’s boss technically. Did you think the show could magically appear on air just by Joan sitting there cracking jokes? It took a whole team of people behind the scenes to make things happen. Calling Melissa riding on her mother’s coattail is just vicious and plain false.
danceswithcats
Kathy Griffin wouldn’t be where she is if not for Joan Rivers’ paving the way for her – and I’m pretty sure she knows that. I can’t belief she meant any malice toward Joan. Have you seen some of Joan’s early stuff? These women were and are raw, straight-to-the-point and damn funny! Love them BOTH!!!!
Captain Obvious
Melissa, darling. Please shut the f up. You have no talent, you ride your mother’s coattails, and she’s the only reason we even hear from you. You’ll keep grinding her name into dust all by yourself while you poorly attempt to milk it for all it’s still worth.
Kathy did nothing to your mother’s legacy, that’s all you boo. Stop dredging up her name for interviews and book deals hoping to cash in like you did anything to deserve HER attention.
Kathy has her own legacy and her own name. The reason Joan was friends with her is because she was a comedian in her own right. Kathy said what she said an explanation of why the show didn’t work for her.
Learn to read and go sit down somewhere enjoying your mother’s money quietly.
Sluggo2007
Melissa, it’s time to stop riding on the coattails of your mother’s fame. Let her rest in peace and you go stand in a corner and watch paint dry.