I began writing this blogpost by typing, "When someone like Joan Rivers dies..."

Then I quickly backspaced. Joan would have been furious with me: someone like Joan Rivers? "Please", she'd say, "there's never been anyone like me." 

Joan Rivers was an original: relentlessly hardworking, wildly competitive, resilient, and hilarious. We learned that firsthand when JWA filmed Joan for Making Trouble, a 2007 documentary about Jewish women comedians. Making Trouble tells the stories of the comedic legends who changed the rules, and features original footage of Joan Rivers speaking and performing. 

Here, exclusively, are some clips from Making Trouble that really capture Joan's spirit. We at JWA hope you enjoy them! 

First up, Joan and her writing partner Treva Silverman on her early jokes:

Joan has some choice words for Sarah Silverman and the red carpet:

Joan on aging and shocking her Jewish audiences: