Flood of laughs in Rivers tribute
I WAS in absolute stitches as Fashion Police: The Final Runway saluted the late great Joan Rivers.
For years she starred in this show, presiding over a panel of stylists and fellow celebrities to critique – often savagely – the latest looks of Hollywood stars.
And acid-tongued comedienne Joanie sure didn’t pull her punches.
Chairing the last ever edition of the show (on E, Wednesday) Joan’s daughter Melissa managed to balance the high emotions of this farewell with hysterical anecdotes about her much-missed mum.
I met Joan several times when she was working in the UK and was always amazed at her energy levels. At 80 she was running up and down stairs at a speed that made me, in my thirties, exhausted.
When she talked to you she was funnier than on screen – and way kinder.
But Fashion Police wasn’t known for delicate comments so, unsurprisingly, the programme was dominated by clips of Joan’s most outrageous antics.
Like the time US actress Alicia Silverstone posted a video of her feeding her toddler son by regurgitating food into his mouth. So Joan decided to do the same with her Fashion Police family.
Cue an unsuspecting Kelly Osbourne on the receiving end of a recycled burger straight from Joan’s gloss-coated lips. Yuk!
Dinosaur
Big stars, from Nicki Minaj to Jennifer Lopez, appeared on the show. Even Miss Piggy got in on the act.
But the Muppet gave as good as she got, warning Joan as she lined up a gag: “Is this going to turn into a pig joke?
“Coz I didn’t come in here with a load of dinosaur jokes, OK?”
I’ve always suspected that Joan’s fearless comedy might have been fuelled by something stronger than a cup of tea – and Melissa confirmed it. She told us: “Mum always had a coffee cup out of sight (on set). It wasn’t actually coffee, it was white wine – and let me remind you that we taped at 7am.”
Recalling Joan’s final Fashion Police appearance, filmed at the Emmy Awards in 2014, co-host Giuliana Racic revealed: “It was one of our highest rated shows.
“Then we all got terrible news that Joan had been rushed to hospital.
“We were all praying ‘She’s going to get out of this’.”
Tragically, she didn’t and died at the age of 81 after complications arising out of plastic surgery.
In an unprecedented tribute, New York Fashion Week came to a standstill to honour her.
Singer Katy Perry summed up the mood perfectly, tweeting: “What’s the point of wearing all those dumb costumes if Joan’s not there to rip them apart?”
Joan really was queen of the put-down. RIP, sweetheart.