Remembering Joan Rivers 1 Year Later

One year ago we lost a comedic legend and the world became a little less funny. Joan Rivers was more than a comedian, she was a writer, producer, director, designer, and most of all a sweet person.

I can personally attest to the last statement. Four years ago, I was invited to a Joan Rivers show after I casually tweeted about it being sold out- a bummer since I was intending to go as a graduation gift for graduating cosmetology school. Ms Rivers took time out of her schedule to meet me after the show. A dream come true- the fact that she laughed when I cracked a few jokes and looked me in the eyes, stating "Your a funny bitch. You should try comedy."

I have been a life long fan of Joan Rivers. As a young child in the early 1990s, I was familiar with Joan thanks to her pioneering red carpet coverage (she originated the phrase "Who are you wearing?"). She helped turn E! From a shitty little network that only aired fashion shows, the random art house movie, and the occasional entertainment news coverage on a 4 hour loop due to their limited programming into a channel people would talk about thanks to her red carpet coverage and Fashion Police specials. Her red carpet coverage also helped fashion designers become household names.

Growing up, I used to walk one block form my house to the library library and rent old Joan Rivers stand up records. I remember the librarian asking me if my mother knew I was checking them out- Rivers was quite raunchy for her time - more so for a seven year old in a small conservative Northern Indiana town - even if I didn't understand that her "appendectomy" jokes were referencing abortions.

I followed, studied her career with amazement. Joan always seemed to bounce back from the lows with greater highs.  Months before her death, Joan was still one of the busiest entertainers in show business. She hosted E!'s weekly series Fashion Police, the webseries In Bed with Joan, presenting the Joan rivers Collection on QVC, was still performing standup, and was promoting her latest book Diary of a Mad Diva.

We want to honor Joan by highlighting what she did best- make us laugh- with the video below.