1 00:00:04,176 --> 00:00:06,970 So many people that are here. Hello, my darling. 2 00:00:06,970 --> 00:00:09,181 Missy, darling, are you there? 3 00:00:09,181 --> 00:00:11,808 [narrator] She was known as fashion's funniest critic... 4 00:00:11,808 --> 00:00:13,435 Who are you wearing? Who are you wearing? 5 00:00:13,435 --> 00:00:15,646 Who are you wearing, and who are you wearing? 6 00:00:15,646 --> 00:00:17,689 And the "Queen of Mean". 7 00:00:17,689 --> 00:00:18,690 This is what, this is feathers? 8 00:00:18,690 --> 00:00:20,317 What kind of feathers, cock feathers? 9 00:00:20,317 --> 00:00:23,946 Joan Rivers also blazed a trail in a man's world. 10 00:00:23,946 --> 00:00:25,948 She was hilarious! 11 00:00:25,948 --> 00:00:27,658 The beautiful, Joan Rivers. 12 00:00:27,658 --> 00:00:29,535 It was the first time I ever saw a female comic. 13 00:00:29,535 --> 00:00:32,287 I went, "Oh, girls can do that!" 14 00:00:32,287 --> 00:00:35,624 The world was not quite ready for Joan. 15 00:00:35,624 --> 00:00:38,377 She was comedy's version of a rock star. 16 00:00:38,377 --> 00:00:41,255 A woman modelling being a boss... 17 00:00:41,255 --> 00:00:42,631 Here's Joan Rivers. 18 00:00:42,631 --> 00:00:46,176 And being funny and unafraid. 19 00:00:46,176 --> 00:00:47,928 I should be in good in bed 'cause my first sexual 20 00:00:47,928 --> 00:00:50,847 experience was at 12, you know, this afternoon. 21 00:00:50,847 --> 00:00:52,224 ♪ 22 00:00:52,224 --> 00:00:54,101 And she'd have the gorgeous gowns, 23 00:00:54,101 --> 00:00:56,061 and she'd have the styled hair. 24 00:00:56,061 --> 00:00:58,605 So glamorous! 25 00:00:58,605 --> 00:01:01,191 She looked like a normal lady. 26 00:01:01,191 --> 00:01:04,403 But when she opened up her mouth, you better watch out. 27 00:01:04,403 --> 00:01:06,029 So, how'd you gain the weight? 28 00:01:06,029 --> 00:01:07,823 -I ate a lot. -[Laughing] 29 00:01:07,823 --> 00:01:09,199 You shouldn't let that happen to you, you're very pretty. 30 00:01:09,199 --> 00:01:11,243 -Oh, Joan, you know what! -No, I don't want to hear! 31 00:01:11,243 --> 00:01:13,745 She was honest. 32 00:01:13,745 --> 00:01:15,247 I don't go into hotel rooms with men, 33 00:01:15,247 --> 00:01:17,124 I don't spend my life on knees and- 34 00:01:17,124 --> 00:01:18,875 I don't either- [Indistinct speaking] 35 00:01:18,875 --> 00:01:20,460 [Audience laughing] 36 00:01:20,460 --> 00:01:23,463 I don't spend my life on my knees either! 37 00:01:23,463 --> 00:01:25,924 But beneath her powerful exterior... 38 00:01:25,924 --> 00:01:27,843 There was a piece of her that was broken. 39 00:01:27,843 --> 00:01:30,304 You are always putting yourself down. 40 00:01:30,304 --> 00:01:31,888 You must have some favourite, surely. 41 00:01:31,888 --> 00:01:34,308 Oh, please, no... nothing. 42 00:01:34,308 --> 00:01:37,227 She was struggling with a dangerous obsession. 43 00:01:37,227 --> 00:01:38,604 -Hi, Doc. -How are you? 44 00:01:38,604 --> 00:01:40,772 -Very nervous. -Okay... 45 00:01:40,772 --> 00:01:44,526 I think about how scary everything was for her. 46 00:01:44,526 --> 00:01:46,320 If any of you are thinking of plastic surgery, 47 00:01:46,320 --> 00:01:49,114 this was taken the day after. 48 00:01:49,114 --> 00:01:51,575 Very bruised, but alive, right? 49 00:01:51,575 --> 00:01:53,243 She was being spoofed, she was- 50 00:01:53,243 --> 00:01:55,078 she turned into a caricature of herself. 51 00:01:55,078 --> 00:01:56,747 She was not taken seriously. 52 00:01:56,747 --> 00:01:58,874 It was the monster that created 53 00:01:58,874 --> 00:02:00,751 her need to win people. 54 00:02:00,751 --> 00:02:02,794 How does a comic who smashed the glass ceiling 55 00:02:02,794 --> 00:02:07,174 become so toxic to women, especially herself? 56 00:02:07,174 --> 00:02:09,635 No one, I mean no one, 57 00:02:09,635 --> 00:02:11,011 is safe from my wrath. 58 00:02:11,011 --> 00:02:12,054 [Overlapping voices] Ladies and gentlemen! 59 00:02:12,054 --> 00:02:13,430 You're about to be entertained! 60 00:02:13,430 --> 00:02:15,640 Getting the laugh is the greatest addiction. 61 00:02:15,640 --> 00:02:16,808 They want more of it, they want more of it. 62 00:02:16,808 --> 00:02:18,977 He was getting death threats. It [beep] with your head! 63 00:02:18,977 --> 00:02:20,771 ...he's out of his skull! That's what took her down. 64 00:02:20,771 --> 00:02:22,272 This is a crazy story. 65 00:02:22,272 --> 00:02:24,900 ♪ 66 00:02:25,567 --> 00:02:28,403 [Applauding] 67 00:02:28,403 --> 00:02:29,613 I don't know how many of you know about Brooklyn, 68 00:02:29,613 --> 00:02:31,865 but Brooklyn was, it was very tough to grow up. 69 00:02:31,865 --> 00:02:33,575 My parents, we lived right down there, 70 00:02:33,575 --> 00:02:35,994 wonderful people. Worked hard, played. 71 00:02:35,994 --> 00:02:38,038 We lived in a big brownstone right off there. 72 00:02:38,038 --> 00:02:40,248 Not a house- a big, brown stone. 73 00:02:40,248 --> 00:02:41,541 [Laughing] 74 00:02:41,541 --> 00:02:43,543 Joan Alexandra Molinsky, 75 00:02:43,543 --> 00:02:45,629 a child of Russian -Jewish immigrants 76 00:02:45,629 --> 00:02:49,841 seems born with a passion for the performing arts. 77 00:02:49,841 --> 00:02:52,469 When she was 3 years old, she was cast in 78 00:02:52,469 --> 00:02:56,306 a preschool play as the "pretty kitty". 79 00:02:56,306 --> 00:02:58,683 And she made the audience laugh. 80 00:02:58,683 --> 00:03:01,645 She said, "It might as well have been crack." 81 00:03:01,645 --> 00:03:04,022 And from then on she was chasing that 82 00:03:04,022 --> 00:03:08,360 incredibly thrilling, exhilarating high. 83 00:03:08,360 --> 00:03:10,862 Because what it meant was that the audience loved her. 84 00:03:10,862 --> 00:03:12,572 Now, you're a Barnard College Graduate? 85 00:03:12,572 --> 00:03:13,990 -Yes. -And your father's a doctor? 86 00:03:13,990 --> 00:03:15,826 -Yes. -And your mother is a...? 87 00:03:15,826 --> 00:03:17,953 -A mother. -Just a mother. 88 00:03:17,953 --> 00:03:19,704 How do they look upon this, what you're doing? 89 00:03:19,704 --> 00:03:21,873 -What it is you do? -Frightened. 90 00:03:21,873 --> 00:03:24,709 From the time of her preschool play, 91 00:03:24,709 --> 00:03:28,255 Joan desperately wanted to be an actress. 92 00:03:28,255 --> 00:03:30,924 It's a dream that will sustain her through college, 93 00:03:30,924 --> 00:03:33,218 but she's plagued by self-doubt. 94 00:03:33,218 --> 00:03:35,637 She used to tell stories about how somebody 95 00:03:35,637 --> 00:03:37,264 would see her in a bathing suit, and they would say, 96 00:03:37,264 --> 00:03:39,224 "I'm not going out with her." Or, you know, 97 00:03:39,224 --> 00:03:41,351 a cousin who refused to take her to the prom. 98 00:03:41,351 --> 00:03:44,563 So, she always had a terrible complex 99 00:03:44,563 --> 00:03:47,023 about her appearance. 100 00:03:47,023 --> 00:03:49,067 A new medical procedure is being marketed to women 101 00:03:49,067 --> 00:03:50,652 as a beauty miracle. 102 00:03:50,652 --> 00:03:52,738 It's called plastic surgery. 103 00:03:52,738 --> 00:03:54,906 In the time when Joan grew up, 104 00:03:54,906 --> 00:04:00,245 the standards of beauty in America were very 105 00:04:00,245 --> 00:04:02,164 blonde, blue-eyed, 106 00:04:02,164 --> 00:04:03,665 pert, bobbed noses that 107 00:04:03,665 --> 00:04:06,084 the models in the magazines had. 108 00:04:06,084 --> 00:04:08,753 She felt like she was- in that way, in the, 109 00:04:08,753 --> 00:04:11,798 in the physical way- not quite good enough. 110 00:04:11,798 --> 00:04:13,341 There's the ethnic part of it. 111 00:04:13,341 --> 00:04:17,262 There was a part of it of the not embracing... 112 00:04:17,262 --> 00:04:18,805 who we are. 113 00:04:18,805 --> 00:04:22,184 Joan's mother takes her for her first nose job. 114 00:04:22,184 --> 00:04:24,519 The transformative surgery allows Joan to 115 00:04:24,519 --> 00:04:27,022 see herself in a whole new light. 116 00:04:27,022 --> 00:04:28,857 When I first got out of college, 117 00:04:28,857 --> 00:04:31,067 I got me a manager who said, "You'll never make it under 118 00:04:31,067 --> 00:04:33,528 the name Joan Molinsky," which is my real name. 119 00:04:33,528 --> 00:04:37,407 Which hurt. And, ah, I, I would be booked in places 120 00:04:37,407 --> 00:04:38,825 I can't tell you 'cause you've never had to 121 00:04:38,825 --> 00:04:40,577 go through, you know, like, strip joints. 122 00:04:40,577 --> 00:04:42,454 -No. -And I tried to belong. 123 00:04:42,454 --> 00:04:44,331 I used to wear a G-string over my dress and everything. 124 00:04:44,331 --> 00:04:45,916 [Laughing] 125 00:04:45,916 --> 00:04:47,751 -Weird. -Strange. 126 00:04:47,751 --> 00:04:49,586 When she graduated, 127 00:04:49,586 --> 00:04:53,173 she spent a terrible decade trying to 128 00:04:53,173 --> 00:04:56,676 break into performing in New York. 129 00:04:56,676 --> 00:04:58,428 ♪ 130 00:04:58,428 --> 00:05:00,555 She would make the rounds of the casting agents. 131 00:05:00,555 --> 00:05:02,349 And finally, one of the secretaries said to her, 132 00:05:02,349 --> 00:05:03,600 "You know, you're kind of funny. 133 00:05:03,600 --> 00:05:06,520 Did you ever think about trying to do comedy?" 134 00:05:06,520 --> 00:05:08,271 And when she first tried doing stand-up, 135 00:05:08,271 --> 00:05:10,774 she was terrible. 136 00:05:10,774 --> 00:05:14,069 She went to see Lenny Bruce who was fearless and 137 00:05:14,069 --> 00:05:16,112 famous for getting up onstage and saying 138 00:05:16,112 --> 00:05:18,657 all the things that you are not allowed to say. 139 00:05:18,657 --> 00:05:22,035 Ah, she was like, "Oh, my god, you can do that?" 140 00:05:22,035 --> 00:05:23,995 As Joan beings writing her own material, 141 00:05:23,995 --> 00:05:25,705 a new persona emerges. 142 00:05:25,705 --> 00:05:29,042 I met Joan in, in the Village. 143 00:05:29,042 --> 00:05:32,337 And, here was this tiny person... 144 00:05:32,337 --> 00:05:35,674 and she was doing what women didn't do at that point. 145 00:05:35,674 --> 00:05:38,635 Came in appearing to be harmless, but boy, 146 00:05:38,635 --> 00:05:40,637 she was a killer. [Laughing] 147 00:05:40,637 --> 00:05:42,764 She's so likeable, she's so sweet. 148 00:05:42,764 --> 00:05:44,391 And then she says these crazy things, and that's... 149 00:05:44,391 --> 00:05:46,226 that's the sneak attack. 150 00:05:46,226 --> 00:05:50,021 I just absolutely became enamoured with this very 151 00:05:50,021 --> 00:05:52,899 intelligent, articulate, well-educated woman 152 00:05:52,899 --> 00:05:55,986 coming up with issues and situations- 153 00:05:55,986 --> 00:05:57,737 political and social commentary- 154 00:05:57,737 --> 00:06:00,365 that the world had not seen. 155 00:06:00,365 --> 00:06:01,783 We weren't even allowed to have like our own 156 00:06:01,783 --> 00:06:03,201 credit cards at the time where Joan 157 00:06:03,201 --> 00:06:04,995 was going onstage. 158 00:06:04,995 --> 00:06:06,705 That made her powerful. 159 00:06:06,705 --> 00:06:09,291 She was more than a comic, she was an event. 160 00:06:09,291 --> 00:06:10,417 [Joan] It was Second City, 161 00:06:10,417 --> 00:06:11,918 which did well around here. 162 00:06:11,918 --> 00:06:13,545 And then nobody cared really, you know, 163 00:06:13,545 --> 00:06:15,004 there were great lapses. 164 00:06:15,004 --> 00:06:17,173 And I'd given it up, and I'd become a writer, 165 00:06:17,173 --> 00:06:18,383 and was making a living. 166 00:06:18,383 --> 00:06:20,260 And then they asked me to go on the Carson show to 167 00:06:20,260 --> 00:06:23,054 discuss writing- not as a performer- 168 00:06:23,054 --> 00:06:24,889 and discuss my theories of writing, 169 00:06:24,889 --> 00:06:26,641 and I did, and they laughed. 170 00:06:26,641 --> 00:06:29,185 So, I became a performer again. 171 00:06:29,185 --> 00:06:30,478 The Tonight Show, 172 00:06:30,478 --> 00:06:31,980 when Johnny Carson was the host, 173 00:06:31,980 --> 00:06:34,065 he was known as the king of late night, 174 00:06:34,065 --> 00:06:38,778 and was unquestionably the show to watch at 11:30. 175 00:06:38,778 --> 00:06:40,780 It was a launching pad, it was a 176 00:06:40,780 --> 00:06:44,367 platform to introduce comics to the world. 177 00:06:44,367 --> 00:06:47,579 You would be seen by as many people in, 178 00:06:47,579 --> 00:06:50,957 in 15 minutes as could possibly see you in 179 00:06:50,957 --> 00:06:52,584 10 years in a club. 180 00:06:52,584 --> 00:06:54,669 My name is Patric M. Verrone. 181 00:06:54,669 --> 00:06:57,088 I'm a television comedy writer, 182 00:06:57,088 --> 00:07:00,175 currently working on Futurama. 183 00:07:00,175 --> 00:07:01,801 Here's a good friend of ours. 184 00:07:01,801 --> 00:07:05,347 Um... Julie says she taped three shows today. 185 00:07:05,347 --> 00:07:07,140 She's a lot of fun. Would you welcome, Joan Rivers! 186 00:07:07,140 --> 00:07:10,727 If Johnny Carson gave you that sign, or that sign, 187 00:07:10,727 --> 00:07:13,313 or called you over to the couch... 188 00:07:13,313 --> 00:07:14,689 you had made it. 189 00:07:14,689 --> 00:07:17,776 And apparently, he told Joan 190 00:07:17,776 --> 00:07:19,235 on her first appearance... 191 00:07:19,235 --> 00:07:21,696 You know, you're gonna be a big star. 192 00:07:21,696 --> 00:07:23,990 And, he loved her. 193 00:07:23,990 --> 00:07:25,950 It's the most awful thing for a woman, 194 00:07:25,950 --> 00:07:27,786 is when you're sitting there talking to a guy and an 195 00:07:27,786 --> 00:07:30,497 18-year-old chickee walks past, and- 196 00:07:30,497 --> 00:07:31,915 "Heh-heh-heh-heh." 197 00:07:31,915 --> 00:07:33,416 And these girls are dumb, Johnny. 198 00:07:33,416 --> 00:07:34,834 -Dumb? -Dumb! 199 00:07:34,834 --> 00:07:36,795 -You know, stewardesses? -Oh, yeah. 200 00:07:36,795 --> 00:07:39,464 Dumb! Dumb, dumb! 201 00:07:39,464 --> 00:07:42,467 -They're pretty. -Oh, sure, bring that up. 202 00:07:42,467 --> 00:07:46,304 It was like Johnny Carson was anointing Joan Rivers. 203 00:07:46,304 --> 00:07:49,557 We'll take a break, and we'll be right back. 204 00:07:49,557 --> 00:07:51,476 The fact that she woke up and she was suddenly an 205 00:07:51,476 --> 00:07:55,063 overnight star, ah, was just a testimonial to her 206 00:07:55,063 --> 00:08:00,026 persistence and her refusal to take no for an answer. 207 00:08:00,026 --> 00:08:01,736 Joan's breakthrough appearance on 208 00:08:01,736 --> 00:08:04,698 The Tonight Show is a life changing event. 209 00:08:04,698 --> 00:08:07,242 Joan Rivers, a refreshing change of pace from the 210 00:08:07,242 --> 00:08:10,578 usual sleep talking nature of Johnny Carson's show. 211 00:08:10,578 --> 00:08:12,956 And this fall, she's begun a series of engagements with 212 00:08:12,956 --> 00:08:16,000 that monument of massive charm, Ed Sullivan. 213 00:08:16,000 --> 00:08:19,462 The first time I ever saw Joan River was as a very 214 00:08:19,462 --> 00:08:23,508 little girl, on my TV, watching Ed Sullivan. 215 00:08:23,508 --> 00:08:24,968 I almost didn't come out tonight because 216 00:08:24,968 --> 00:08:26,678 I'm backstage shortening my skirt. 217 00:08:26,678 --> 00:08:28,638 It was the first time I ever saw a female comic. 218 00:08:28,638 --> 00:08:29,889 You know, you have to shorten it again 219 00:08:29,889 --> 00:08:31,433 because the dumb styles. 220 00:08:31,433 --> 00:08:35,979 Joan was the person who I could say to this day, 221 00:08:35,979 --> 00:08:39,399 I went, "Oh, girls can do that." 222 00:08:39,399 --> 00:08:41,693 I'd watch Joan Rivers on Ed Sullivan 223 00:08:41,693 --> 00:08:45,530 in her beautiful black designer cocktail dresses. 224 00:08:45,530 --> 00:08:47,031 Here is... 225 00:08:47,031 --> 00:08:49,242 little Joan Rivers! 226 00:08:49,242 --> 00:08:50,785 With all the beautiful jewelry, 227 00:08:50,785 --> 00:08:52,287 her hair done perfect. 228 00:08:52,287 --> 00:08:55,623 Perfect makeup, manicured, gorgeous shoes- 229 00:08:55,623 --> 00:08:59,502 the whole thing- and I went, "She's beautiful!" 230 00:08:59,502 --> 00:09:00,795 When I was 21, my mother said, 231 00:09:00,795 --> 00:09:03,590 "Only a doctor for you." When I was 22, 232 00:09:03,590 --> 00:09:06,676 she said, "Alright, a lawyer. CPA." 233 00:09:06,676 --> 00:09:08,970 24, she said, "We'll grab a dentist." 234 00:09:08,970 --> 00:09:11,139 26, she said, "Anything!" 235 00:09:11,139 --> 00:09:12,932 She looked like the perfect woman. 236 00:09:12,932 --> 00:09:15,518 My father's a doctor, and he figured if they 237 00:09:15,518 --> 00:09:18,480 educate the lump, she'll get married, you know? 238 00:09:18,480 --> 00:09:20,690 [Lisa Ann] But she kept telling me 239 00:09:20,690 --> 00:09:22,942 that she wasn't. 240 00:09:22,942 --> 00:09:25,820 Joan's overnight success isn't enough for her. 241 00:09:25,820 --> 00:09:27,864 She wants something more. 242 00:09:27,864 --> 00:09:30,617 She becomes obsessed with the way she looks onscreen. 243 00:09:30,617 --> 00:09:33,745 This time, it's the bags under her eyes. 244 00:09:33,745 --> 00:09:36,623 She returns to the surgeon's chair. 245 00:09:36,623 --> 00:09:38,750 Back when Joan was doing stand-up, 246 00:09:38,750 --> 00:09:41,795 you started looking your age, you don't get booked! 247 00:09:41,795 --> 00:09:43,046 That's the Dark Side of Comedy, 248 00:09:43,046 --> 00:09:46,257 is that there is a chronic low self-esteem 249 00:09:46,257 --> 00:09:48,009 in every good comedian. 250 00:09:48,009 --> 00:09:49,052 And it doesn't go away 251 00:09:49,052 --> 00:09:50,261 no matter how successful you are. 252 00:09:50,261 --> 00:09:52,138 No matter how much face work you get, 253 00:09:52,138 --> 00:09:54,265 it just, it's still there. 254 00:09:54,265 --> 00:09:56,559 But, you know, why not keep trying? 255 00:09:56,559 --> 00:09:59,479 You're already fighting to be on a stage full of men. 256 00:09:59,479 --> 00:10:01,397 You're playing in a boys' club. 257 00:10:01,397 --> 00:10:03,900 So now you don't look as pretty. 258 00:10:03,900 --> 00:10:05,944 What are my opportunities gonna be? 259 00:10:14,619 --> 00:10:16,788 So, here is a young lady who, ah... 260 00:10:16,788 --> 00:10:19,207 I think had her first national exposure on my show, 261 00:10:19,207 --> 00:10:21,668 who not only writes funny, she is funny, herself. 262 00:10:21,668 --> 00:10:23,378 Would you welcome, please, Joan Rivers. 263 00:10:23,378 --> 00:10:25,421 Joan's breakout appearance on The Tonight Show 264 00:10:25,421 --> 00:10:27,799 isn't the only big change in her life. 265 00:10:27,799 --> 00:10:28,967 A lot's happened in a year. 266 00:10:28,967 --> 00:10:31,094 Last year, I was home alone, with no job, 267 00:10:31,094 --> 00:10:33,012 watching you, you know, on television. 268 00:10:33,012 --> 00:10:35,849 And, which is- you know, you were funny, but then... 269 00:10:35,849 --> 00:10:37,600 [Laughing] And, ah, you know. 270 00:10:37,600 --> 00:10:39,894 This year, I'm married, and I was out with my husband 271 00:10:39,894 --> 00:10:42,856 to a formal party, and we watched you on television. 272 00:10:42,856 --> 00:10:45,400 Joan had been looking for an appropriate husband for a 273 00:10:45,400 --> 00:10:49,112 long time when she finally met Edgar Rosenberg. 274 00:10:49,112 --> 00:10:51,781 He was kind of a Hollywood producer wannabe, 275 00:10:51,781 --> 00:10:54,200 and then he proposed to her, and they kind of had a 276 00:10:54,200 --> 00:10:57,495 whirlwind romance and got married pretty quickly. 277 00:10:57,495 --> 00:10:58,913 As some of you can tell now, 278 00:10:58,913 --> 00:11:00,748 I'm 7 and a half months pregnant. 279 00:11:00,748 --> 00:11:01,958 And you want to know the truth? 280 00:11:01,958 --> 00:11:03,626 You know how lousy you feel at night? 281 00:11:03,626 --> 00:11:04,794 When I'm undressed, my husband 282 00:11:04,794 --> 00:11:06,504 looks at me and mentally dresses me. 283 00:11:06,504 --> 00:11:07,964 -You know? -[Laughing] 284 00:11:07,964 --> 00:11:10,216 Soon she's balancing motherhood along with 285 00:11:10,216 --> 00:11:11,467 a white-hot career. 286 00:11:11,467 --> 00:11:13,636 Would you welcome Miss Joan Rivers! 287 00:11:13,636 --> 00:11:16,931 Joan's regular appearances on Johnny Carson's show are 288 00:11:16,931 --> 00:11:19,601 her springboard to becoming a household name. 289 00:11:19,601 --> 00:11:22,020 You're done so beautifully. 290 00:11:22,020 --> 00:11:24,230 -She does. -Oh! I hope she's not happy. 291 00:11:24,230 --> 00:11:26,232 -It just kills me. -[Laughing] 292 00:11:26,232 --> 00:11:27,817 Do you have a calendar like this out? 293 00:11:27,817 --> 00:11:30,945 Not- Well, I tried. But unfortunately... 294 00:11:30,945 --> 00:11:32,572 [Laughing] Just one month. 295 00:11:32,572 --> 00:11:33,781 [Laughing] 296 00:11:33,781 --> 00:11:34,908 They said, "Forget the rest of the year," ah? 297 00:11:34,908 --> 00:11:36,242 Yeah, they said, "Blech!" No. 298 00:11:36,242 --> 00:11:37,660 [Laughing] 299 00:11:37,660 --> 00:11:39,078 They saw December and says, "Well, forget it." 300 00:11:39,078 --> 00:11:40,955 I have no sex appeal, you know that. 301 00:11:40,955 --> 00:11:41,956 I'm just teasing. No- I- See, I- 302 00:11:41,956 --> 00:11:42,957 -Oh, come on! -No, no come on, 303 00:11:42,957 --> 00:11:44,417 You're gonna start that self-deprecating stuff again. 304 00:11:44,417 --> 00:11:46,336 Well, how can you when Ann is sitting next to you, 305 00:11:46,336 --> 00:11:49,464 you know what I- How can you- I mean, my marriage, I mean, 306 00:11:49,464 --> 00:11:51,049 there's nothing, there's no romance left. 307 00:11:51,049 --> 00:11:51,925 Oh, come on. 308 00:11:51,925 --> 00:11:53,635 Last time there was any sex, you know, 309 00:11:53,635 --> 00:11:55,511 he was doing push-ups and I slid in. 310 00:11:55,511 --> 00:11:56,971 -Otherwise... -[Laughing] 311 00:11:56,971 --> 00:12:00,099 Carson gives Joan a golden opportunity. 312 00:12:00,099 --> 00:12:02,560 Johnny only worked four nights a week. 313 00:12:02,560 --> 00:12:04,229 The Monday night show, 314 00:12:04,229 --> 00:12:06,064 he would bring in a guest host. 315 00:12:06,064 --> 00:12:08,149 You name it, they would find anybody who was willing to 316 00:12:08,149 --> 00:12:10,944 sit in the chair and talk to somebody on the couch. 317 00:12:10,944 --> 00:12:12,779 So, Joan became a regular. 318 00:12:12,779 --> 00:12:14,989 And Joan was well, well liked. 319 00:12:14,989 --> 00:12:17,450 So, at some point, every Monday night, 320 00:12:17,450 --> 00:12:20,203 she became the permanent guest host. 321 00:12:20,203 --> 00:12:23,957 For her to take over and host when Johnny wasn't there... 322 00:12:23,957 --> 00:12:25,208 mind blowing. 323 00:12:25,208 --> 00:12:28,544 Even today, it's unusual for there to be 324 00:12:28,544 --> 00:12:32,423 a woman host of a talk show at night. 325 00:12:32,423 --> 00:12:35,134 That was a ----ing huge deal. 326 00:12:35,134 --> 00:12:37,011 Joan would come on, and she would 327 00:12:37,011 --> 00:12:40,473 do material that Johnny Carson would not do. 328 00:12:40,473 --> 00:12:42,433 When my water broke, it showed up on 329 00:12:42,433 --> 00:12:44,143 the weather report, now what about you?! 330 00:12:44,143 --> 00:12:46,437 She would also have guests that he wouldn't have. 331 00:12:46,437 --> 00:12:48,815 And, people liked to be a little bit naughty 332 00:12:48,815 --> 00:12:50,024 when Joan was there. 333 00:12:50,024 --> 00:12:51,985 I keep staring at your chest, just- Ah! 334 00:12:51,985 --> 00:12:53,695 [Laughing] 335 00:12:53,695 --> 00:12:55,321 And I'm a woman, I mean, 336 00:12:55,321 --> 00:12:57,323 do men ever see your face? 337 00:12:57,323 --> 00:13:01,035 It felt to me like she was the only woman on TV. 338 00:13:01,035 --> 00:13:03,162 But Joan was always herself. 339 00:13:03,162 --> 00:13:06,791 It felt like she did not hold back on what she would say, 340 00:13:06,791 --> 00:13:10,336 and that was a rare quality, for any comic in those days, 341 00:13:10,336 --> 00:13:12,130 but especially for a woman. 342 00:13:12,130 --> 00:13:13,464 She was ballsy! 343 00:13:13,464 --> 00:13:14,841 So, how'd you gain the weight? 344 00:13:14,841 --> 00:13:17,427 -I ate a lot. -[Laughing] 345 00:13:17,427 --> 00:13:19,303 No, no, no, no! No, no, no! 346 00:13:19,303 --> 00:13:20,596 You said 50 pounds! 347 00:13:20,596 --> 00:13:22,140 You shouldn't let that happen to you. You're very pretty. 348 00:13:22,140 --> 00:13:24,267 -Alright, Joan, you know what? -No, I don't want to hear! 349 00:13:24,267 --> 00:13:26,269 It seemed like she was fearless. 350 00:13:26,269 --> 00:13:29,355 She would go there with no hesitation, 351 00:13:29,355 --> 00:13:31,691 reservations, or apologies. 352 00:13:31,691 --> 00:13:34,402 -Ah, Joan Rivers, please. -Joan Rivers! 353 00:13:34,402 --> 00:13:36,571 But beneath Joan's fearless exterior, 354 00:13:36,571 --> 00:13:39,991 she's fighting an ongoing battle with her appearance. 355 00:13:39,991 --> 00:13:44,370 Joan was always incredibly paranoid about her weight, 356 00:13:44,370 --> 00:13:48,458 and she was bulimic for a lot of her adult life. 357 00:13:48,458 --> 00:13:52,003 Her friends claimed that she lived on, you know, like, 358 00:13:52,003 --> 00:13:57,050 Altoids mints and just would not eat food. 359 00:13:57,050 --> 00:13:58,968 From liposuction to face lifts, 360 00:13:58,968 --> 00:14:02,555 Joan turns to surgery over and over again. 361 00:14:02,555 --> 00:14:06,559 Despite her obsession, the public loves her. 362 00:14:06,559 --> 00:14:09,354 Whenever Joan was on The Tonight Show, 363 00:14:09,354 --> 00:14:12,231 the ratings like spiked. 364 00:14:12,231 --> 00:14:16,110 She became the substitute teacher that everybody loved. 365 00:14:16,110 --> 00:14:18,529 So, if Johnny was the king of late night, 366 00:14:18,529 --> 00:14:19,906 Joan became the queen. 367 00:14:19,906 --> 00:14:21,741 This is- I'm used to this, I shouldn't complain. 368 00:14:21,741 --> 00:14:23,910 Men never do things because I'm not attractive. 369 00:14:23,910 --> 00:14:26,120 [Laughing] 370 00:14:26,120 --> 00:14:28,206 When I was born, my mother looked at me, 371 00:14:28,206 --> 00:14:30,500 looked at the afterbirth, and screamed, "Twins!" 372 00:14:30,500 --> 00:14:31,626 [Laughing] 373 00:14:31,626 --> 00:14:33,086 Famously self-deprecating, 374 00:14:33,086 --> 00:14:35,963 Joan's comedy begins to take a turn. 375 00:14:35,963 --> 00:14:38,883 I loved it when Joan Rivers was self-deprecating because 376 00:14:38,883 --> 00:14:42,261 I think that's the way we get into, you know, 377 00:14:42,261 --> 00:14:43,429 people relating to us. 378 00:14:43,429 --> 00:14:46,641 And a lot of it was the very 379 00:14:46,641 --> 00:14:50,645 direct assault on certain personalities. 380 00:14:50,645 --> 00:14:52,980 She changed and, you know, 381 00:14:52,980 --> 00:14:55,733 sometimes she would double down on people. 382 00:14:55,733 --> 00:14:57,777 She really got on Elizabeth Taylor's ass. 383 00:14:57,777 --> 00:15:00,530 She talked about her hair, she talked about her clothes, 384 00:15:00,530 --> 00:15:01,823 she talked about her makeup. 385 00:15:01,823 --> 00:15:03,199 I mean, she was fat, not- 386 00:15:03,199 --> 00:15:04,784 Who's gonna tell you if not your good friend? 387 00:15:04,784 --> 00:15:05,827 Well, I suppose you're right. 388 00:15:05,827 --> 00:15:07,578 She had her ears pierced, gravy came out, 389 00:15:07,578 --> 00:15:08,788 I mean, this woman- 390 00:15:08,788 --> 00:15:10,873 The fat jokes... 391 00:15:10,873 --> 00:15:12,792 again, and again, and again. 392 00:15:12,792 --> 00:15:14,752 One nice thing about having Liz to dinner is when you buy 393 00:15:14,752 --> 00:15:16,504 a pizza, you don't have to cut it into slices. 394 00:15:16,504 --> 00:15:19,173 [Laughing] 395 00:15:19,173 --> 00:15:21,717 When she began to go to Las Vegas, 396 00:15:21,717 --> 00:15:24,554 the material that she was able to do there was 397 00:15:24,554 --> 00:15:27,056 much more, ah, salacious even. 398 00:15:27,056 --> 00:15:30,101 She was vicious about many of 399 00:15:30,101 --> 00:15:32,478 America's most respected women. 400 00:15:32,478 --> 00:15:35,815 And, audiences ate it up. 401 00:15:35,815 --> 00:15:38,568 She is fat! Her blood type is ragout! 402 00:15:38,568 --> 00:15:40,403 The audiences roared. 403 00:15:40,403 --> 00:15:44,574 And, it was really, for Joan, it was like, you know, 404 00:15:44,574 --> 00:15:46,951 throwing red meat to a starving tiger. 405 00:15:46,951 --> 00:15:48,744 The woman is a tramp! 406 00:15:48,744 --> 00:15:51,330 Her towels say "His" and "Herpes". 407 00:15:51,330 --> 00:15:53,249 -I- Oh, yes! -[Laughing] 408 00:15:53,249 --> 00:15:55,334 The woman is a tramp! 409 00:15:55,334 --> 00:15:57,003 Her legs are in the air so often, 410 00:15:57,003 --> 00:15:58,462 her feet are sunburned! 411 00:15:58,462 --> 00:16:00,381 [Laughing] 412 00:16:00,381 --> 00:16:03,092 Joan's popularity is at an all-time high when a 413 00:16:03,092 --> 00:16:06,220 dream job opening makes it onto her radar. 414 00:16:06,220 --> 00:16:08,306 After years of speculation, rumours, 415 00:16:08,306 --> 00:16:11,225 cocktail party conversations, and just plain old gossip, 416 00:16:11,225 --> 00:16:14,061 Johnny Carson has finally made it official. 417 00:16:14,061 --> 00:16:16,564 He is not going to stay on television forever. 418 00:16:16,564 --> 00:16:18,858 It was a long time for anybody in television, 419 00:16:18,858 --> 00:16:20,276 and he was... 420 00:16:20,276 --> 00:16:22,987 aging, so the assumption would be that someone 421 00:16:22,987 --> 00:16:24,488 would have to take his place. 422 00:16:24,488 --> 00:16:27,909 Here's Joan Rivers! 423 00:16:27,909 --> 00:16:31,245 [Cheering continues] 424 00:16:35,208 --> 00:16:38,211 If you have somebody on that does the job that Joan did, 425 00:16:38,211 --> 00:16:40,922 I think there has to be an understanding that, 426 00:16:40,922 --> 00:16:43,382 well, I'm probably gonna be a successor. 427 00:16:43,382 --> 00:16:45,676 You know, and he's gonna support that. 428 00:16:45,676 --> 00:16:47,220 'Cause she knew what the show was doing, 429 00:16:47,220 --> 00:16:51,557 the numbers the show was doing when she was on it. 430 00:16:51,557 --> 00:16:55,144 Supposedly, there was a list produced by somebody- 431 00:16:55,144 --> 00:16:57,897 I don't know who- that... 432 00:16:57,897 --> 00:16:59,774 talked about who would take over for Johnny, 433 00:16:59,774 --> 00:17:01,067 and Joan wasn't on that list. 434 00:17:01,067 --> 00:17:03,069 And of course, it was all men on the list. 435 00:17:03,069 --> 00:17:05,279 And they weren't even considering her 436 00:17:05,279 --> 00:17:07,990 to take over hosting duties. 437 00:17:07,990 --> 00:17:09,575 If you're the permanent guest host, 438 00:17:09,575 --> 00:17:11,911 and you see your ratings are going up because Joan is 439 00:17:11,911 --> 00:17:14,538 coming in, why would she not be on a list? 440 00:17:14,538 --> 00:17:18,209 You could only say it's because she was a woman. 441 00:17:18,209 --> 00:17:20,753 Even as a TV queen, she's still a woman 442 00:17:20,753 --> 00:17:22,296 fighting in a man's world. 443 00:17:22,296 --> 00:17:25,841 My sense of Joan, because she was such a hard driven, 444 00:17:25,841 --> 00:17:28,511 hard driving individual, if she thought that 445 00:17:28,511 --> 00:17:31,180 she was not being given the opportunity that 446 00:17:31,180 --> 00:17:33,474 anybody else would have been given... 447 00:17:33,474 --> 00:17:35,184 that would've upset her. 448 00:17:35,184 --> 00:17:39,188 That would cause her to drive even harder. 449 00:17:39,188 --> 00:17:41,691 Joan's perfectionism pushes her back into the surgeon's 450 00:17:41,691 --> 00:17:43,734 chair with each new television appearance and 451 00:17:43,734 --> 00:17:46,529 magazine cover. 452 00:17:46,529 --> 00:17:49,782 It really made Joan Rivers obsessed with the way 453 00:17:49,782 --> 00:17:52,743 she looked because Joan had to deal with fear, 454 00:17:52,743 --> 00:17:54,829 and she dealt with insecurity. 455 00:17:54,829 --> 00:17:57,832 When you go in and you start thinking, "Oh, my gosh, 456 00:17:57,832 --> 00:17:59,375 there's something wrong with me... 457 00:17:59,375 --> 00:18:03,129 I got too many chins, my nose is too wide," 458 00:18:03,129 --> 00:18:04,964 you, you can get addicted. 459 00:18:04,964 --> 00:18:09,719 Some will see her next move as career suicide. 460 00:18:09,719 --> 00:18:12,471 To do what she did took chutzpah. 461 00:18:21,188 --> 00:18:22,440 Good evening, this is the 10 o'clock news, 462 00:18:22,440 --> 00:18:23,607 I'm Steve Powers. 463 00:18:23,607 --> 00:18:26,569 And today, confirmation of the largest single broadcast 464 00:18:26,569 --> 00:18:28,738 station transaction in history. 465 00:18:28,738 --> 00:18:31,949 Joan is furious as what she sees as a betrayal by 466 00:18:31,949 --> 00:18:34,368 Johnny Carson until a new opportunity 467 00:18:34,368 --> 00:18:36,162 falls into her lap. 468 00:18:36,162 --> 00:18:38,956 My understanding of the story at the time was that 469 00:18:38,956 --> 00:18:41,542 Rupert Murdoch announced, with Barry Diller, 470 00:18:41,542 --> 00:18:43,502 that there was going to be a fourth network. 471 00:18:43,502 --> 00:18:45,546 They were going to start in late night. 472 00:18:45,546 --> 00:18:48,591 And so, in order to make the biggest splash possible, 473 00:18:48,591 --> 00:18:51,302 they needed to get a late night host who was somebody 474 00:18:51,302 --> 00:18:55,389 that was recognizable, and who was a proven commodity 475 00:18:55,389 --> 00:18:58,017 in a world dominated by Johnny Carson. 476 00:18:58,017 --> 00:19:01,437 Well, Joan Rivers was the obvious candidate. 477 00:19:01,437 --> 00:19:04,065 Fox executives offer Joan the biggest opportunity 478 00:19:04,065 --> 00:19:06,233 of her career, but it means she will have to 479 00:19:06,233 --> 00:19:09,320 compete directly with Johnny Carson. 480 00:19:09,320 --> 00:19:12,531 This is a businesswoman saying, "Oh, I need to work," 481 00:19:12,531 --> 00:19:14,033 and she did what anybody would do. 482 00:19:14,033 --> 00:19:17,620 If you were gonna pay me 9 times my salary, buh-bye! 483 00:19:17,620 --> 00:19:21,374 That rippled the waters. 484 00:19:21,374 --> 00:19:23,876 Joan Rivers against late night talk show champ, 485 00:19:23,876 --> 00:19:26,045 Johnny Carson, and both corners 486 00:19:26,045 --> 00:19:28,089 will be pulling no punches. 487 00:19:28,089 --> 00:19:30,132 [Applauding] 488 00:19:30,132 --> 00:19:32,635 The groundwork for tonight's main event was 489 00:19:32,635 --> 00:19:36,180 laid last May when Rivers was still serving as sole guest 490 00:19:36,180 --> 00:19:39,100 host for Carson, appeared at a press conference to 491 00:19:39,100 --> 00:19:42,144 announce plans for her own late night talk show. 492 00:19:42,144 --> 00:19:44,063 There's room for all of us. 493 00:19:44,063 --> 00:19:46,023 He should be thrilled he found me. 494 00:19:46,023 --> 00:19:47,608 There's room for all of us. 495 00:19:47,608 --> 00:19:50,319 Carson was not thrilled, and a statement issued through 496 00:19:50,319 --> 00:19:52,655 his company maintained that Rivers, quote, 497 00:19:52,655 --> 00:19:55,074 "Handled the situation very shabbily in 498 00:19:55,074 --> 00:19:56,951 her sudden announcement," end quote. 499 00:19:56,951 --> 00:19:59,328 He further termed her behaviour, "Unethical." 500 00:19:59,328 --> 00:20:01,122 And the kingmaker didn't like it. 501 00:20:01,122 --> 00:20:05,126 I think he felt like he could... 502 00:20:05,126 --> 00:20:07,044 destine her life? 503 00:20:07,044 --> 00:20:11,132 The word at the time was that Johnny was offended 504 00:20:11,132 --> 00:20:14,427 that Joan Rivers, a woman whose 505 00:20:14,427 --> 00:20:17,304 career he felt he had launched, 506 00:20:17,304 --> 00:20:21,183 didn't consult with him or even let him know that 507 00:20:21,183 --> 00:20:23,686 she was going to take this very high-profile job 508 00:20:23,686 --> 00:20:27,815 in direct competition against him. 509 00:20:27,815 --> 00:20:29,775 It was perceived by a lot of people 510 00:20:29,775 --> 00:20:32,027 as a slap in the face. 511 00:20:32,027 --> 00:20:33,446 She's not asking to marry someone, 512 00:20:33,446 --> 00:20:34,613 needs a father's permission. 513 00:20:34,613 --> 00:20:37,366 There was no protocol for this. 514 00:20:37,366 --> 00:20:39,910 What a lot of people don't understand is, 515 00:20:39,910 --> 00:20:42,413 because there's so many women in comedy now, 516 00:20:42,413 --> 00:20:44,748 she had to fight for everything, 517 00:20:44,748 --> 00:20:46,250 so that's probably why she didn't call Johnny 518 00:20:46,250 --> 00:20:48,169 to ask to kiss the ring. 519 00:20:48,169 --> 00:20:50,212 "Is it okay if I go do my own show?" 520 00:20:50,212 --> 00:20:52,131 She's gonna go do her own show. 521 00:20:52,131 --> 00:20:53,591 Doesn't Johnny have the power to 522 00:20:53,591 --> 00:20:55,718 really hurt you in the business? 523 00:20:55,718 --> 00:20:58,012 I don't think Jonny wants to. 524 00:20:58,012 --> 00:21:00,598 NBC is trying to, but I... 525 00:21:00,598 --> 00:21:01,807 Oh, who cares? 526 00:21:01,807 --> 00:21:03,767 You want to know something, what's gonna happen? 527 00:21:03,767 --> 00:21:06,228 I have a good marriage, I have a terrific child. 528 00:21:06,228 --> 00:21:07,897 Um... 529 00:21:07,897 --> 00:21:09,815 I have a terrific dog. 530 00:21:09,815 --> 00:21:12,193 [Laughing & applauding] 531 00:21:12,193 --> 00:21:15,488 Not only was she never back on The Tonight Show, 532 00:21:15,488 --> 00:21:18,407 but Johnny Carson never talked to her again. 533 00:21:18,407 --> 00:21:20,117 What do viewers think of the Johnny Carson, 534 00:21:20,117 --> 00:21:21,577 Joan Rivers feud? 535 00:21:21,577 --> 00:21:23,329 It was great Hollywood gossip. 536 00:21:23,329 --> 00:21:27,416 All Fox had was The Late Show with Joan Rivers, 537 00:21:27,416 --> 00:21:30,127 so this was a dream amount of publicity for 538 00:21:30,127 --> 00:21:31,587 the launching of this network. 539 00:21:31,587 --> 00:21:32,588 Hold it, Harry! Hold it! 540 00:21:32,588 --> 00:21:33,881 My new show is coming on! 541 00:21:33,881 --> 00:21:35,716 Harry, Joan Rivers is talking to you. 542 00:21:35,716 --> 00:21:38,344 But I like the weatherman's puppet, Mr. Sunshine. 543 00:21:38,344 --> 00:21:41,096 For Joan, the stakes can't be higher. 544 00:21:41,096 --> 00:21:42,765 She's burned a bridge with Carson, 545 00:21:42,765 --> 00:21:44,600 and the success of a brand-new network 546 00:21:44,600 --> 00:21:46,268 rests on her shoulders. 547 00:21:46,268 --> 00:21:49,396 As the first-ever female host of late night television, 548 00:21:49,396 --> 00:21:52,274 the world is watching. 549 00:21:52,274 --> 00:21:55,486 Joan insists on hiring her husband as executive producer 550 00:21:55,486 --> 00:21:59,865 and gets down to the business of creating a smash hit. 551 00:21:59,865 --> 00:22:02,910 The first episode in October of 1986, 552 00:22:02,910 --> 00:22:05,788 and they had booked a list of guests for the premiere 553 00:22:05,788 --> 00:22:08,207 that was gonna blow the roof off the place. 554 00:22:08,207 --> 00:22:10,084 For her first round with the champ, 555 00:22:10,084 --> 00:22:12,711 Rivers is parading out an all-star lineup, 556 00:22:12,711 --> 00:22:16,382 including Cher, Elton John, Peewee Herman, 557 00:22:16,382 --> 00:22:18,175 and David Lee Roth. 558 00:22:18,175 --> 00:22:22,638 She herself, Joan herself, was an attraction. 559 00:22:22,638 --> 00:22:24,390 ♪ ...THE BITCH IS BACK! ♪ 560 00:22:24,390 --> 00:22:26,600 ♪ THE BITCH IS BACK! ♪ 561 00:22:26,600 --> 00:22:29,520 [Cheering & applauding continues] 562 00:22:33,232 --> 00:22:36,652 I ran into the green room, and in the green room 563 00:22:36,652 --> 00:22:39,613 were sitting Barry Diller and Rupert Murdoch. 564 00:22:39,613 --> 00:22:43,534 That shows you how important this first episode was. 565 00:22:43,534 --> 00:22:46,412 They were businessmen looking 566 00:22:46,412 --> 00:22:48,706 very carefully at their investment. 567 00:22:48,706 --> 00:22:50,040 Right now, they're here to perform, 568 00:22:50,040 --> 00:22:52,167 "You Gotta Fight For Your Right to Party," 569 00:22:52,167 --> 00:22:54,128 The Beastie Boys! 570 00:22:54,128 --> 00:22:55,212 [Cheering] 571 00:22:55,212 --> 00:22:57,464 I'm enjoying you 'cause this is not my house. 572 00:22:57,464 --> 00:22:59,049 Chris Rock! 573 00:22:59,049 --> 00:23:00,759 [Cheering & applauding] 574 00:23:00,759 --> 00:23:01,885 So, what's up? 575 00:23:01,885 --> 00:23:03,387 Are you gonna have PMS with us? 576 00:23:03,387 --> 00:23:04,597 No... 577 00:23:04,597 --> 00:23:06,265 No, I had it this afternoon. 578 00:23:06,265 --> 00:23:07,349 [Laughing] 579 00:23:07,349 --> 00:23:10,102 She was like an electrifying presence, 580 00:23:10,102 --> 00:23:13,355 and she had a really young following. 581 00:23:13,355 --> 00:23:15,024 What's going on? 582 00:23:15,024 --> 00:23:16,775 It's either the 4th of July... 583 00:23:16,775 --> 00:23:18,611 or someone's trying to kill us! 584 00:23:18,611 --> 00:23:21,155 No! 585 00:23:21,155 --> 00:23:23,741 When Joan lands her first cover of People Magazine, 586 00:23:23,741 --> 00:23:26,660 it's the ultimate symbol of celebrity success. 587 00:23:26,660 --> 00:23:28,162 But instead of celebrating, 588 00:23:28,162 --> 00:23:30,748 it triggers something else in Joan. 589 00:23:30,748 --> 00:23:33,208 And what she sees in the mirror... 590 00:23:33,208 --> 00:23:35,753 is very different than what we all see. 591 00:23:35,753 --> 00:23:38,047 The thing about becoming famous and being constantly 592 00:23:38,047 --> 00:23:40,424 in front of cameras is you look at yourself on a 593 00:23:40,424 --> 00:23:42,343 magazine cover, or in People Magazine, 594 00:23:42,343 --> 00:23:44,428 or on camera or whatever, and you think, 595 00:23:44,428 --> 00:23:46,055 "Oh, I hate the way this looks. 596 00:23:46,055 --> 00:23:48,140 Maybe I could do something to fix that." 597 00:23:48,140 --> 00:23:50,476 And, her attitude was, bring it on. 598 00:23:50,476 --> 00:23:52,978 As the number of Joan's surgeries increase, 599 00:23:52,978 --> 00:23:55,481 her late night talk show hits a roadblock. 600 00:23:55,481 --> 00:23:59,610 There was a rumour in town that if you went on the show 601 00:23:59,610 --> 00:24:02,696 with Joan to promote your movie or TV show, 602 00:24:02,696 --> 00:24:05,324 you would not get booked on The Tonight Show. 603 00:24:05,324 --> 00:24:06,825 I guess he got mad and said, 604 00:24:06,825 --> 00:24:09,036 "You can't be on her show and my show," 605 00:24:09,036 --> 00:24:13,040 and everybody was afraid to go on the woman's show. 606 00:24:13,040 --> 00:24:14,958 He tried to ruin her. 607 00:24:14,958 --> 00:24:18,212 As the weeks went by, it became clear 608 00:24:18,212 --> 00:24:21,298 the show was beginning to falter. 609 00:24:21,298 --> 00:24:24,259 As in any time something goes wrong in anything in 610 00:24:24,259 --> 00:24:26,845 this world, somebody needs to be blamed. 611 00:24:26,845 --> 00:24:31,517 She would rely on Edgar's opinion more often than 612 00:24:31,517 --> 00:24:33,936 she would when people with more experience 613 00:24:33,936 --> 00:24:36,271 doing this kind of programming. 614 00:24:36,271 --> 00:24:39,066 The executives started to tinker. 615 00:24:39,066 --> 00:24:43,696 And they started to disagree openly with Edgar. 616 00:24:43,696 --> 00:24:46,573 They weren't so into her husband. 617 00:24:46,573 --> 00:24:49,743 They weren't so into the Edgar of it all. 618 00:24:49,743 --> 00:24:51,745 They asked her to choose. 619 00:24:51,745 --> 00:24:56,125 Fox executives demand Joan fire Edgar, or else. 620 00:24:56,125 --> 00:24:58,627 She chose her husband... 621 00:24:58,627 --> 00:25:01,588 which is so ----ing crazy to me. 622 00:25:01,588 --> 00:25:03,924 So, I don't... 623 00:25:03,924 --> 00:25:08,262 understand the choice, but it shows her spirit that 624 00:25:08,262 --> 00:25:10,514 she's just like, "---- you, that's my man. 625 00:25:10,514 --> 00:25:12,850 I'm standing by my man." 626 00:25:12,850 --> 00:25:14,935 After less than 7 months on the air, 627 00:25:14,935 --> 00:25:17,604 Joan is fired from her late night talk show. 628 00:25:17,604 --> 00:25:19,857 When you have a bomb like that where you have this 629 00:25:19,857 --> 00:25:23,360 huge opportunity, you have this talk show... 630 00:25:23,360 --> 00:25:25,863 and then it gets canceled, it's so embarrassing. 631 00:25:25,863 --> 00:25:27,239 She was the first woman in late night. 632 00:25:27,239 --> 00:25:29,908 It was a huge moment to have her have her own talk show, 633 00:25:29,908 --> 00:25:32,828 and I'm sure people just loved it when it failed. 634 00:25:32,828 --> 00:25:34,413 Things don't work out, you know what I mean? 635 00:25:34,413 --> 00:25:36,123 It's nobody's fault. 636 00:25:36,123 --> 00:25:37,958 I've been in this business 23 years. 637 00:25:37,958 --> 00:25:40,669 I'm gonna be in this business another 23 years. 638 00:25:40,669 --> 00:25:42,546 -[Cheering] -It doesn't matter. 639 00:25:42,546 --> 00:25:45,007 But the loss of her show is only the spark that will 640 00:25:45,007 --> 00:25:47,926 ignite a devastating fire storm in Joan's life. 641 00:25:47,926 --> 00:25:52,848 ♪ 642 00:25:52,848 --> 00:25:57,144 In the aftermath of the disaster with Fox... 643 00:25:57,144 --> 00:25:59,855 she was in California, and she was getting 644 00:25:59,855 --> 00:26:02,608 yet another cosmetic procedure, 645 00:26:02,608 --> 00:26:04,860 some beauty-related thing. 646 00:26:04,860 --> 00:26:07,863 Edgar was in the east... 647 00:26:07,863 --> 00:26:09,948 where Melissa, their daughter, 648 00:26:09,948 --> 00:26:12,201 was at the University of Pennsylvania. 649 00:26:12,201 --> 00:26:16,371 ♪ SFX: [Heartbeat] ♪ 650 00:26:16,371 --> 00:26:19,500 Edgar was staying at the Four Seasons in Philadelphia. 651 00:26:19,500 --> 00:26:24,213 ♪ SFX: [Heartbeat] ♪ 652 00:26:24,213 --> 00:26:27,132 ♪ 653 00:26:27,132 --> 00:26:31,512 He chose that place to... 654 00:26:31,512 --> 00:26:33,347 kill himself. 655 00:26:33,347 --> 00:26:37,518 ♪ 656 00:26:46,318 --> 00:26:48,779 We were fired from Fox, 657 00:26:48,779 --> 00:26:52,199 and then he committed suicide. 658 00:26:52,199 --> 00:26:54,910 1987 was not a very good year for me. 659 00:26:54,910 --> 00:26:57,454 The husband of comedian Joan Rivers is found dead 660 00:26:57,454 --> 00:26:59,206 in a posh Philadelphia hotel. 661 00:26:59,206 --> 00:27:01,959 Police say it may have been a suicide. 662 00:27:01,959 --> 00:27:05,754 I don't know why exactly he did it. 663 00:27:05,754 --> 00:27:08,048 There were all kinds of rumours that were 664 00:27:08,048 --> 00:27:09,967 swirling at the time. 665 00:27:09,967 --> 00:27:14,805 There was some blame being laid at Edgar's feet 666 00:27:14,805 --> 00:27:17,224 for the, the failure of the show. 667 00:27:17,224 --> 00:27:20,602 And, honestly from a firsthand perspective, 668 00:27:20,602 --> 00:27:23,480 I can't tell you that that was necessarily the case, 669 00:27:23,480 --> 00:27:26,275 but there was that sense. 670 00:27:26,275 --> 00:27:27,943 The reality was, the man was dead, 671 00:27:27,943 --> 00:27:31,613 and Joan was a widow. 672 00:27:31,613 --> 00:27:34,408 Joan talked to me about what happened in 673 00:27:34,408 --> 00:27:38,704 that aftermath of Edgar dying. 674 00:27:38,704 --> 00:27:42,541 My name's Oz Scott. I'm a director, producer. 675 00:27:42,541 --> 00:27:46,169 She talked to me about sitting Shiva and having her 676 00:27:46,169 --> 00:27:51,425 agents show up and tell her they were letting her go 677 00:27:51,425 --> 00:27:54,803 because nobody wanted to see a comic 678 00:27:54,803 --> 00:27:57,264 whose husband had committed suicide. 679 00:27:57,264 --> 00:28:01,852 And then, for her to learn that she was broke... 680 00:28:01,852 --> 00:28:03,687 on top of it all. 681 00:28:03,687 --> 00:28:06,023 While still dealing with the shock of Edgar's death, 682 00:28:06,023 --> 00:28:09,276 Joan learns that he had been keeping a secret from her. 683 00:28:09,276 --> 00:28:11,445 Edgar was filled with shame because 684 00:28:11,445 --> 00:28:13,614 he had screwed up everything. 685 00:28:13,614 --> 00:28:18,869 I gather Edgar had made some bad investments so, 686 00:28:18,869 --> 00:28:23,040 she was really in trouble. 687 00:28:23,040 --> 00:28:25,667 Not only had Edgar lost all of their money, 688 00:28:25,667 --> 00:28:29,463 he left her $37 million in debt. 689 00:28:29,463 --> 00:28:31,924 Millions and millions of dollars in debt, 690 00:28:31,924 --> 00:28:33,842 which is so devastating. 691 00:28:33,842 --> 00:28:36,386 I can't even imagine... 692 00:28:36,386 --> 00:28:40,849 how she and Melissa got through that. 693 00:28:40,849 --> 00:28:43,435 I was so angry at my husband, I went in one night, 694 00:28:43,435 --> 00:28:45,354 and I opened his medicine chest. 695 00:28:45,354 --> 00:28:47,773 I think the man had killed himself four days before. 696 00:28:47,773 --> 00:28:50,567 And I said, "What did you do to us?" 697 00:28:50,567 --> 00:28:52,486 I love my husband, I miss my husband. 698 00:28:52,486 --> 00:28:55,030 I was so angry, it was like, "You son of a bitch, 699 00:28:55,030 --> 00:28:56,239 you son of a bitch!" 700 00:28:56,239 --> 00:28:57,741 I was very secure in the fact that I knew 701 00:28:57,741 --> 00:29:00,577 my father loved me, and that I, I knew that 702 00:29:00,577 --> 00:29:02,996 he knew that I loved him tremendously. 703 00:29:02,996 --> 00:29:04,957 All of the anger and all of the rage 704 00:29:04,957 --> 00:29:07,960 came flying out at my mother. 705 00:29:07,960 --> 00:29:10,379 When Joan's show was canceled and she was 706 00:29:10,379 --> 00:29:12,297 fed up with being married to him, 707 00:29:12,297 --> 00:29:14,091 he had screwed up her whole life and her career, 708 00:29:14,091 --> 00:29:15,926 which is the thing she cared most about, 709 00:29:15,926 --> 00:29:18,887 when he died... 710 00:29:18,887 --> 00:29:23,600 Melissa blamed her mother for her father's death. 711 00:29:23,600 --> 00:29:26,311 She's lost her career, she's lost her money. 712 00:29:26,311 --> 00:29:29,731 She feels like she has nothing left to live for, 713 00:29:29,731 --> 00:29:32,567 and so she's sitting there with this gun. 714 00:29:32,567 --> 00:29:35,445 And, she knew how to use it. 715 00:29:35,445 --> 00:29:37,197 But Joan doesn't give in. 716 00:29:37,197 --> 00:29:39,449 Instead, she does what she's always done in the face 717 00:29:39,449 --> 00:29:42,911 of a challenge- she fights through it. 718 00:29:42,911 --> 00:29:44,997 I have terrible things happen to me all the time, 719 00:29:44,997 --> 00:29:46,581 but I don't dwell on them. I spend like a 720 00:29:46,581 --> 00:29:48,500 week or two weeks, and I say, "Enough of this." 721 00:29:48,500 --> 00:29:51,044 Out the door and start again. 722 00:29:51,044 --> 00:29:53,839 Even though the person she sacrificed 723 00:29:53,839 --> 00:29:57,968 everything for checked out... 724 00:29:57,968 --> 00:29:59,678 she kept going. 725 00:29:59,678 --> 00:30:03,557 She had to rebuild her career from scratch. 726 00:30:03,557 --> 00:30:06,393 Total scorched earth... 727 00:30:06,393 --> 00:30:08,729 and then she rises. 728 00:30:08,729 --> 00:30:10,564 [Applauding] 729 00:30:10,564 --> 00:30:13,358 Joan lands a brand-new daytime talk show. 730 00:30:13,358 --> 00:30:14,401 Are you sleeping with Miss Piggy? 731 00:30:14,401 --> 00:30:15,402 Can we just get right down to it- 732 00:30:15,402 --> 00:30:17,487 are you sleeping with Miss Piggy? 733 00:30:17,487 --> 00:30:19,197 Well, Joan Rivers was a hustler. 734 00:30:19,197 --> 00:30:22,075 Can you please welcome, Miss Grace Jones. 735 00:30:22,075 --> 00:30:24,745 Why do you have to be so extreme? 736 00:30:24,745 --> 00:30:27,956 She kept her position at Caesar's Palace, 737 00:30:27,956 --> 00:30:29,916 and she continued to, to tour, 738 00:30:29,916 --> 00:30:34,129 and she continued to make albums, and she put out books. 739 00:30:34,129 --> 00:30:37,340 She did what every real woman does, 740 00:30:37,340 --> 00:30:39,676 pull herself up by her pumps, 741 00:30:39,676 --> 00:30:42,012 put on her big girl panties. 742 00:30:42,012 --> 00:30:43,305 She's doing the grunt work. 743 00:30:43,305 --> 00:30:44,890 Now she's interviewing people, 744 00:30:44,890 --> 00:30:46,808 she's out at every event. 745 00:30:46,808 --> 00:30:48,435 She hits the stages, 746 00:30:48,435 --> 00:30:51,021 and she is bringing it full fledged fire. 747 00:30:51,021 --> 00:30:54,316 -Joan Rivers! -[Cheering] 748 00:30:54,316 --> 00:30:55,859 She was back. 749 00:30:55,859 --> 00:30:58,779 Ah! Hi, can we talk? 750 00:30:58,779 --> 00:31:01,990 Listen, this Saturday evening I will be joining QVC to 751 00:31:01,990 --> 00:31:04,826 introduce my new classics collection of fashion jewelry. 752 00:31:04,826 --> 00:31:07,454 It's just beautiful, and you are gonna love it. 753 00:31:07,454 --> 00:31:10,874 People would say, "Oh, my, she's done, she's doing QVC." 754 00:31:10,874 --> 00:31:16,338 Nobody who was famous already... 755 00:31:16,338 --> 00:31:20,467 was on the Home Shopping Network. 756 00:31:20,467 --> 00:31:22,844 In Joan's quest to rebuild her fortune, 757 00:31:22,844 --> 00:31:26,098 nothing is off limits for public consumption. 758 00:31:26,098 --> 00:31:29,309 Oh, don't worry, Daddy. 759 00:31:29,309 --> 00:31:31,561 Mom's just fine, she won best dressed patient and 760 00:31:31,561 --> 00:31:34,940 Miss Congeniality at the hospital. 761 00:31:34,940 --> 00:31:39,528 The film "Tears and Laughter" was the aftermath 762 00:31:39,528 --> 00:31:42,781 of Edgar having committed suicide. 763 00:31:42,781 --> 00:31:47,536 And, how Joan Rivers and Melissa Rivers, 764 00:31:47,536 --> 00:31:51,581 the two of them fell apart and had to find a way of 765 00:31:51,581 --> 00:31:53,750 coming back together. 766 00:31:53,750 --> 00:31:56,336 One of the things a lot of people asked was 767 00:31:56,336 --> 00:31:59,548 why did Joan take this part? 768 00:31:59,548 --> 00:32:02,884 And I asked Joan, and Joan said, 769 00:32:02,884 --> 00:32:07,180 "Why would I create a part, a character, 770 00:32:07,180 --> 00:32:09,057 and give it to somebody else?" 771 00:32:09,057 --> 00:32:10,475 ♪ 772 00:32:10,475 --> 00:32:11,852 "I want to do it." 773 00:32:11,852 --> 00:32:15,480 Ah! What a surprise, you're early! 774 00:32:15,480 --> 00:32:19,234 Missy, what is it? Missy, what's happened? 775 00:32:19,234 --> 00:32:22,529 Melissa, just tell me what's happened. 776 00:32:22,529 --> 00:32:27,993 ♪ 777 00:32:27,993 --> 00:32:29,995 I know that her goal was to be taken seriously 778 00:32:29,995 --> 00:32:32,289 as an actress and I don't think she ever was. 779 00:32:32,289 --> 00:32:34,833 ♪ 780 00:32:34,833 --> 00:32:38,753 Despite all her success over the years, Joan wanted more. 781 00:32:38,753 --> 00:32:41,715 She always felt that her looks were holding her back. 782 00:32:41,715 --> 00:32:43,758 ♪ 783 00:32:43,758 --> 00:32:48,054 From her earliest childhood, she was incredibly jealous of 784 00:32:48,054 --> 00:32:51,016 other girls who, because of beauty, 785 00:32:51,016 --> 00:32:55,061 had opportunities that Joan felt she was denied. 786 00:32:55,061 --> 00:32:57,397 Hearing her say that she wanted to be taken seriously 787 00:32:57,397 --> 00:32:58,940 as an actress kind of breaks my heart. 788 00:32:58,940 --> 00:33:03,278 She, she didn't care about the other gifts God gave her. 789 00:33:03,278 --> 00:33:05,989 Joan always felt like the ugly duckling in the family. 790 00:33:05,989 --> 00:33:07,866 She had an older sister. 791 00:33:07,866 --> 00:33:10,785 And, the sister was, according to family 792 00:33:10,785 --> 00:33:14,289 mythology, prettier, smarter, and more popular. 793 00:33:14,289 --> 00:33:16,958 To be told as a child, "Oh, you're fat, you're ugly, 794 00:33:16,958 --> 00:33:18,752 you're not the best -looking in the family, 795 00:33:18,752 --> 00:33:20,253 everybody's better than you," 796 00:33:20,253 --> 00:33:22,255 it probably really took a toll on her. 797 00:33:22,255 --> 00:33:24,049 That is what created her. 798 00:33:24,049 --> 00:33:26,176 It was the monster that created 799 00:33:26,176 --> 00:33:28,220 her need to win people. 800 00:33:28,220 --> 00:33:30,847 This fuelled an endless quest for beauty, 801 00:33:30,847 --> 00:33:32,682 regardless of the dangers. 802 00:33:32,682 --> 00:33:34,434 -How are you? -Very nervous. 803 00:33:34,434 --> 00:33:36,311 It's sad that Joan never felt beautiful, 804 00:33:36,311 --> 00:33:40,815 and was constantly always trying to fix herself and get 805 00:33:40,815 --> 00:33:44,277 that love that she never felt and that adoration from just 806 00:33:44,277 --> 00:33:46,446 being a girl that people admire from across a room, 807 00:33:46,446 --> 00:33:47,864 without having to tell a joke. 808 00:33:47,864 --> 00:33:49,741 And then this thing is getting me. 809 00:33:49,741 --> 00:33:51,826 This is really looking old. 810 00:33:51,826 --> 00:33:54,579 Okay, we're gonna go ahead and... 811 00:33:54,579 --> 00:33:57,290 take care of the bends of the neck area here. 812 00:33:57,290 --> 00:33:59,251 There's gonna be a small incision just underneath 813 00:33:59,251 --> 00:34:00,835 the chin area here. 814 00:34:00,835 --> 00:34:03,672 Plastic surgery is a way to achieve a look that 815 00:34:03,672 --> 00:34:05,924 you think will get more people to love you. 816 00:34:05,924 --> 00:34:08,009 'Cause I want to look good. I don't want to look... 817 00:34:08,009 --> 00:34:10,470 I don't want to look too tight, I want to look good. 818 00:34:10,470 --> 00:34:12,138 Okay, got that. 819 00:34:12,138 --> 00:34:14,140 Just remember, I'm a mother. 820 00:34:14,140 --> 00:34:16,518 ♪ 821 00:34:26,236 --> 00:34:29,114 I was ugly as a child, I was ugly as a teenager, 822 00:34:29,114 --> 00:34:31,116 and I'm puke now. I- [Laughing] 823 00:34:31,116 --> 00:34:33,118 That's why my sex life is so bad. 824 00:34:33,118 --> 00:34:34,160 My husband says he won't touch me 825 00:34:34,160 --> 00:34:36,162 on religious reasons. He's Jewish and I'm a pig. 826 00:34:36,162 --> 00:34:37,205 [Laughing] 827 00:34:37,205 --> 00:34:38,957 In a world that demands beauty, 828 00:34:38,957 --> 00:34:41,418 Joan started out by making fun of herself. 829 00:34:41,418 --> 00:34:43,461 Being funny is very powerful. 830 00:34:43,461 --> 00:34:46,298 It is intrinsically powerful, which is, in women, 831 00:34:46,298 --> 00:34:49,718 huge amount of our personal power is sexual. 832 00:34:49,718 --> 00:34:51,136 Or beauty. 833 00:34:51,136 --> 00:34:53,179 In order to mitigate that power, 834 00:34:53,179 --> 00:34:55,473 we have to say, "We are not that." 835 00:34:55,473 --> 00:34:57,559 I didn't like all the self-deprecation 836 00:34:57,559 --> 00:34:58,893 that she had to do. 837 00:34:58,893 --> 00:35:01,771 At the time that she was coming up, 838 00:35:01,771 --> 00:35:04,149 that was the way comedy was for women... 839 00:35:04,149 --> 00:35:05,483 self-deprecating. 840 00:35:05,483 --> 00:35:07,694 And then she got more bold and she... 841 00:35:07,694 --> 00:35:09,279 pushed that envelope. 842 00:35:09,279 --> 00:35:10,322 Is this feather? What kind of feather? 843 00:35:10,322 --> 00:35:11,406 Is it cock feather? 844 00:35:11,406 --> 00:35:14,826 When she was asked to do red carpet commentary, 845 00:35:14,826 --> 00:35:17,620 for her it was just an excuse to crack jokes and 846 00:35:17,620 --> 00:35:18,913 make fun of people. 847 00:35:18,913 --> 00:35:20,373 That didn't exist! 848 00:35:20,373 --> 00:35:22,500 She turned that into an art form. 849 00:35:22,500 --> 00:35:24,919 -Who are you wearing? -"Who are you wearing?" 850 00:35:24,919 --> 00:35:26,087 Who are you wearing? 851 00:35:26,087 --> 00:35:27,130 "Well, who are you wearing?" 852 00:35:27,130 --> 00:35:30,175 The fashion, it was what she liked. 853 00:35:30,175 --> 00:35:32,177 [Sputtering] 854 00:35:32,177 --> 00:35:35,597 She was able to merge a professional and a 855 00:35:35,597 --> 00:35:38,433 personal affection into a third act. 856 00:35:38,433 --> 00:35:41,061 And who the hell are you? What do you want me to say? 857 00:35:41,061 --> 00:35:42,687 Get away, you SOB! 858 00:35:42,687 --> 00:35:43,980 We went subtle on the jewelry, 859 00:35:43,980 --> 00:35:45,815 which I know you're opposed to sometimes. 860 00:35:45,815 --> 00:35:47,275 You call those subtle? 861 00:35:47,275 --> 00:35:49,486 You bitch, you're very spoiled now. 862 00:35:49,486 --> 00:35:51,154 But in the twilight of Joan's career, 863 00:35:51,154 --> 00:35:53,990 she becomes even more vicious. 864 00:35:53,990 --> 00:35:56,743 She would be mean as hell. 865 00:35:56,743 --> 00:35:59,120 Rate! That! Face! 866 00:35:59,120 --> 00:36:02,832 Ugh! I, I, I, I could- she- 867 00:36:02,832 --> 00:36:06,544 that is probably the ugliest plastic surgery I've seen. 868 00:36:06,544 --> 00:36:08,797 You almost wish that Chris Brown would punch her 869 00:36:08,797 --> 00:36:10,215 in the face, she could do it again. 870 00:36:10,215 --> 00:36:11,466 Oh, my god! 871 00:36:11,466 --> 00:36:15,512 She fat shamed Liz Taylor, and Adele later on. 872 00:36:15,512 --> 00:36:17,639 She just plugged somebody else in 873 00:36:17,639 --> 00:36:20,016 as the years went on... 874 00:36:20,016 --> 00:36:23,978 probably as a way of deflecting her own 875 00:36:23,978 --> 00:36:26,106 body dysmorphia. 876 00:36:26,106 --> 00:36:28,775 Three things you could see from, from outer space. 877 00:36:28,775 --> 00:36:30,360 You could see the Great Wall of China. 878 00:36:30,360 --> 00:36:32,737 You could see the Grand Canyon, 879 00:36:32,737 --> 00:36:35,073 you could see Oprah Winfrey's ass, those are the three... 880 00:36:35,073 --> 00:36:36,199 -[Laughing] -Ah! 881 00:36:36,199 --> 00:36:39,744 I really relate to having a lot of shame about my looks, 882 00:36:39,744 --> 00:36:41,496 not being as pretty as I want to be. 883 00:36:41,496 --> 00:36:43,289 But in the end, ah, 884 00:36:43,289 --> 00:36:44,666 you can't really control it and 885 00:36:44,666 --> 00:36:46,042 you're mad about it, and so 886 00:36:46,042 --> 00:36:47,544 you want to call it out in others. 887 00:36:47,544 --> 00:36:49,546 When people do fat, Oprah Winfrey fat jokes, 888 00:36:49,546 --> 00:36:52,632 every time, even now still, it hurts. 889 00:36:52,632 --> 00:36:55,593 My way of being... 890 00:36:55,593 --> 00:36:58,263 on the defensive, I guess, and like, 891 00:36:58,263 --> 00:37:00,765 I'll be damned if you're going to hurt me, 892 00:37:00,765 --> 00:37:02,392 so up yours. 893 00:37:02,392 --> 00:37:04,686 You're not hurting me. 894 00:37:04,686 --> 00:37:08,565 I'm not gonna let you see you're hurting me. 895 00:37:08,565 --> 00:37:11,860 I'm not gonna let you know that you're killing me. 896 00:37:11,860 --> 00:37:14,112 Joan is about to face some 897 00:37:14,112 --> 00:37:16,114 of what she's been dishing out. 898 00:37:16,114 --> 00:37:19,784 This is the Comedy Central Roast of Joan Rivers! 899 00:37:19,784 --> 00:37:22,579 Joan doing that roast... 900 00:37:22,579 --> 00:37:25,790 That feels like it was just abusive. 901 00:37:25,790 --> 00:37:27,584 We have a very special treat tonight. 902 00:37:27,584 --> 00:37:29,878 Joan's plastic surgeon is here. 903 00:37:29,878 --> 00:37:31,713 Ladies and gentlemen, Dexter. 904 00:37:31,713 --> 00:37:33,840 That really breaks my heart that she had to 905 00:37:33,840 --> 00:37:35,550 endure those jokes. 906 00:37:35,550 --> 00:37:38,261 Your face is like the war in Iraq- 907 00:37:38,261 --> 00:37:40,221 an expensive bloody mess that 908 00:37:40,221 --> 00:37:43,016 everybody's tired of seeing on TV. 909 00:37:43,016 --> 00:37:44,726 Self-esteem is like a whack-a-mole game 910 00:37:44,726 --> 00:37:48,438 in that you feel good about one thing. 911 00:37:48,438 --> 00:37:51,608 You, you know, I'm gonna lose 5 pounds. 912 00:37:51,608 --> 00:37:53,776 And then another head pops up. 913 00:37:53,776 --> 00:37:55,320 Yeah, what are you gonna do about that nose? 914 00:37:55,320 --> 00:37:58,031 Bam! Oh, yeah, you think you look cute now? 915 00:37:58,031 --> 00:37:59,491 Whack! And it's the- 916 00:37:59,491 --> 00:38:01,993 what I call the beauty industrial complex... 917 00:38:01,993 --> 00:38:04,662 can't wait to let you know what sucks about you. 918 00:38:04,662 --> 00:38:05,955 Her face looked like that because 919 00:38:05,955 --> 00:38:07,832 she wanted people to like her. 920 00:38:07,832 --> 00:38:11,252 It's the sad that the business supported that too. 921 00:38:11,252 --> 00:38:14,547 That they kind of made her feel like 922 00:38:14,547 --> 00:38:16,549 you have to be... 923 00:38:16,549 --> 00:38:19,469 you have to look a certain way in order to win. 924 00:38:19,469 --> 00:38:21,346 You ----ing can't win! 925 00:38:21,346 --> 00:38:24,349 Ah, God, what a [beep] business this is. 926 00:38:24,349 --> 00:38:26,476 You have to look good. 927 00:38:26,476 --> 00:38:29,187 This business does not like old people. 928 00:38:29,187 --> 00:38:31,189 And so she was an aging woman 929 00:38:31,189 --> 00:38:35,360 in a predominantly man's profession. 930 00:38:35,360 --> 00:38:38,571 On one hand, Joan Rivers was... 931 00:38:38,571 --> 00:38:40,240 a ground breaker. 932 00:38:40,240 --> 00:38:42,825 A feminist icon. 933 00:38:42,825 --> 00:38:44,494 On the other hand, she was also 934 00:38:44,494 --> 00:38:46,412 a human being and insecure. 935 00:38:46,412 --> 00:38:48,748 If anything happens, Melissa. 936 00:38:48,748 --> 00:38:51,876 No, but I'm no chicken. I've had a great life. 937 00:38:51,876 --> 00:38:53,419 She was being spoofed. She was- 938 00:38:53,419 --> 00:38:55,296 she turned into a caricature of herself. 939 00:38:55,296 --> 00:38:57,173 She was not taken seriously. 940 00:38:57,173 --> 00:39:00,510 Had an amazing life. If I died this morning, 941 00:39:00,510 --> 00:39:02,512 nobody would say, "So young." 942 00:39:02,512 --> 00:39:04,138 People were really mean about her. 943 00:39:04,138 --> 00:39:05,473 "Get her off the red carpet. 944 00:39:05,473 --> 00:39:07,350 She sucks on her E show, she's old, 945 00:39:07,350 --> 00:39:08,560 her voice is annoying. 946 00:39:08,560 --> 00:39:10,603 She's so annoying, she's so offensive." 947 00:39:10,603 --> 00:39:13,147 I've had an amazing life. 948 00:39:13,147 --> 00:39:16,067 If it ended right now... 949 00:39:16,067 --> 00:39:17,652 Amazing life. 950 00:39:17,652 --> 00:39:20,780 Women in entertainment go away as they age. 951 00:39:20,780 --> 00:39:22,824 ♪ 952 00:39:22,824 --> 00:39:23,866 The only reason we leave is 'cause 953 00:39:23,866 --> 00:39:25,493 no one wants us anymore. 954 00:39:36,921 --> 00:39:39,716 In 2014, 81-year-old Joan Rivers 955 00:39:39,716 --> 00:39:41,718 goes under general anaesthetic as she's 956 00:39:41,718 --> 00:39:44,679 done hundreds of times before. 957 00:39:44,679 --> 00:39:47,098 But this time, it's a medical procedure, 958 00:39:47,098 --> 00:39:50,226 considered minor and routine. 959 00:39:50,226 --> 00:39:53,271 Instead of doing it in a hospital setting where 960 00:39:53,271 --> 00:39:56,274 she had, you know, her celebrity doctor to 961 00:39:56,274 --> 00:40:00,153 oversee the procedure, she did it at a clinic. 962 00:40:00,153 --> 00:40:03,740 That was her fatal mistake. 963 00:40:03,740 --> 00:40:05,783 Joan stops breathing during the procedure, 964 00:40:05,783 --> 00:40:09,329 and is rushed to hospital for resuscitation. 965 00:40:09,329 --> 00:40:11,956 From the day that the procedure happened, 966 00:40:11,956 --> 00:40:14,500 it was hopeless. 967 00:40:14,500 --> 00:40:18,004 The family elects to keep Joan on life support. 968 00:40:18,004 --> 00:40:20,840 Melissa decided to handle it in the way that 969 00:40:20,840 --> 00:40:23,426 she thought that Joan would have liked. 970 00:40:23,426 --> 00:40:25,553 They had her hair done and her makeup, 971 00:40:25,553 --> 00:40:27,555 and people would come in and, you know, 972 00:40:27,555 --> 00:40:30,391 say goodbye at the bedside. 973 00:40:30,391 --> 00:40:34,896 So, they tried to have a meaningful and 974 00:40:34,896 --> 00:40:38,900 sort of civilized goodbye. 975 00:40:38,900 --> 00:40:41,903 But, she was brain dead. 976 00:40:41,903 --> 00:40:44,697 On September 4th, 2014, 977 00:40:44,697 --> 00:40:48,826 Joan Rivers is officially pronounced dead. 978 00:40:48,826 --> 00:40:52,246 Joan Rivers, the famous, famous comedienne 979 00:40:52,246 --> 00:40:53,665 has passed away. 980 00:40:53,665 --> 00:40:56,751 81-year-old comedian had been on life support for a week 981 00:40:56,751 --> 00:40:58,586 since something went wrong during an 982 00:40:58,586 --> 00:41:00,838 outpatient medical procedure. 983 00:41:00,838 --> 00:41:04,467 Here's a woman, ah, I don't know- a real- 984 00:41:04,467 --> 00:41:07,762 a pioneer for other women looking for careers in 985 00:41:07,762 --> 00:41:11,015 stand-up comedy, and, and this woman, 986 00:41:11,015 --> 00:41:13,017 talk about guts. 987 00:41:13,017 --> 00:41:15,436 And by the way, she was indefatigable. 988 00:41:15,436 --> 00:41:17,105 She would be on this show, 989 00:41:17,105 --> 00:41:18,940 she would be on all of the shows, 990 00:41:18,940 --> 00:41:21,734 and she would work about 300 dates a year. 991 00:41:21,734 --> 00:41:22,985 That's a lot of work. 992 00:41:22,985 --> 00:41:24,987 She would come out here and sit in this chair, 993 00:41:24,987 --> 00:41:28,950 and say some things that were unbelievable. 994 00:41:28,950 --> 00:41:31,661 My vagina! [Laughing] 995 00:41:31,661 --> 00:41:34,205 -Is like Newark. -[Laughing] 996 00:41:34,205 --> 00:41:36,916 Men know it's there, but they don't want to visit. 997 00:41:36,916 --> 00:41:40,545 [Laughing & applauding] 998 00:41:40,545 --> 00:41:42,714 I still, to this day, cannot believe that Joan Rivers is 999 00:41:42,714 --> 00:41:46,801 gone because a part of me just feels cheated that 1000 00:41:46,801 --> 00:41:49,721 I'm not gonna be able to prepare for her death. 1001 00:41:49,721 --> 00:41:51,305 I was devastated. 1002 00:41:51,305 --> 00:41:54,058 Joan Rivers, um... 1003 00:41:54,058 --> 00:41:56,436 was a woman you never thought would leave. 1004 00:41:56,436 --> 00:41:59,397 I always thought I would hear that mouth. 1005 00:41:59,397 --> 00:42:02,817 I always thought that she would be around to 1006 00:42:02,817 --> 00:42:04,193 make people laugh. 1007 00:42:04,193 --> 00:42:06,738 Alright, so the memorial for Joan Rivers yesterday. 1008 00:42:06,738 --> 00:42:08,990 I heard words like, well, it rhymes with "rich". 1009 00:42:08,990 --> 00:42:10,742 I heard the 'F' word several times. 1010 00:42:10,742 --> 00:42:12,952 But it was so funny, they kept apologizing to 1011 00:42:12,952 --> 00:42:16,122 the rabbi there, but they still let it fly. 1012 00:42:16,122 --> 00:42:18,040 And if it sounds outrageous, it wasn't, 1013 00:42:18,040 --> 00:42:19,500 or it was perfectly outrageous. 1014 00:42:19,500 --> 00:42:21,335 It was just a beautiful event. 1015 00:42:21,335 --> 00:42:23,337 Her friends saying goodbye to Joan Rivers. 1016 00:42:23,337 --> 00:42:25,590 -There's Howard Stern. -Oh, yeah, he started it off. 1017 00:42:25,590 --> 00:42:27,467 He was magnificent, magnificent. 1018 00:42:27,467 --> 00:42:29,135 He was a genius because he started off 1019 00:42:29,135 --> 00:42:30,762 with something really irreverent. 1020 00:42:30,762 --> 00:42:32,847 He talked about one of her body parts. 1021 00:42:32,847 --> 00:42:34,849 -And then... -In temple! 1022 00:42:34,849 --> 00:42:37,018 Joan made sure she'd leave her mark, 1023 00:42:37,018 --> 00:42:38,561 even after death. 1024 00:42:38,561 --> 00:42:43,399 Joan had left very explicit and elaborate instructions 1025 00:42:43,399 --> 00:42:46,778 for this extravaganza of a funeral. 1026 00:42:46,778 --> 00:42:51,073 The sanctuary is filled with white phalaenopsis orchids. 1027 00:42:51,073 --> 00:42:53,993 You can't see the altar because there are 1028 00:42:53,993 --> 00:42:56,162 so many flowers. 1029 00:42:56,162 --> 00:42:58,080 If there's a god, I hope he or she 1030 00:42:58,080 --> 00:42:59,999 is very well dressed today. 1031 00:42:59,999 --> 00:43:03,544 She created a generation of women who grew up saying, 1032 00:43:03,544 --> 00:43:05,421 "That's what a funny woman is. 1033 00:43:05,421 --> 00:43:07,006 Maybe I can do that." 1034 00:43:07,006 --> 00:43:10,134 One of the things that Joan taught me, 1035 00:43:10,134 --> 00:43:12,345 and something that I've learned in my own career, 1036 00:43:12,345 --> 00:43:14,722 is stay in there. 1037 00:43:14,722 --> 00:43:16,974 Don't give up, don't run away. 1038 00:43:16,974 --> 00:43:20,937 Joan Rivers leaves an amazing legacy. 1039 00:43:20,937 --> 00:43:23,022 She took all those knocks, 1040 00:43:23,022 --> 00:43:27,026 and she turned it into this beautiful career. 1041 00:43:27,026 --> 00:43:31,405 She was able to stay relevant... 1042 00:43:31,405 --> 00:43:33,115 constantly. 1043 00:43:33,115 --> 00:43:34,617 Before Joan's death at 81, 1044 00:43:34,617 --> 00:43:37,912 she was worth an estimated $150 million, 1045 00:43:37,912 --> 00:43:40,039 and as popular as she'd ever been. 1046 00:43:40,039 --> 00:43:42,458 I always use the same joke that Joan Rivers would say. 1047 00:43:42,458 --> 00:43:45,169 Stuff like, "Next time in life I want to be born rich 1048 00:43:45,169 --> 00:43:46,170 instead of beautiful." 1049 00:43:46,170 --> 00:43:48,673 Hers was the opposite though. She would say- 1050 00:43:48,673 --> 00:43:50,550 "If I could choose between funny and beautiful, 1051 00:43:50,550 --> 00:43:52,176 I'd pick beautiful every time." 1052 00:43:52,176 --> 00:43:53,719 I went for x-rays, right. 1053 00:43:53,719 --> 00:43:55,847 They made me take off my blouse. 1054 00:43:55,847 --> 00:43:57,014 Edgar went crazy. 1055 00:43:57,014 --> 00:43:59,684 He took that dentist, he slammed him! 1056 00:43:59,684 --> 00:44:01,853 What would I say to Joan? 1057 00:44:01,853 --> 00:44:04,522 Thank you. 1058 00:44:04,522 --> 00:44:05,815 And you're beautiful.