Our stories give us hope in challenging times. Support JWA by Dec. 31.
Close [x]

Show [+]

Joan Rivers - the spitfire of her own roast!

Last night comedians including Carl Reiner, Gilbert Gottfried, Greg Giraldo, Jeffrey Ross, and Mario Cantone roasted Joan Rivers on Comedy Central.  As she predicted in the clip below, it was a circus of pot-shots about her age, her plastic surgery, and her vagina. 

Kathy Griffin said it best when she introduced Joan:

Joan, look, you know I adore you. You're an inspiration to me.  You have made it possible, certainly, for every female comedian to work. You're a trailblazer - the first and last women in the history of network late night to have a show.  You put the red carpet on the map.  Nobody watched the red carpet before Joan, you put it on the map. You've got a fantastic career, you're famous all over the world, and no matter where you go or who you meet, everyone says the same thing your gynecologist said the first time he took a look at you...

For the very inappropriate punch-line, watch the clip here.

I am proud to report, however, that the most fiery moment of the entire roast was delivered by Ms. Rivers herself, as she took the stage at the end and gave the crowd a piece of her mind. She displayed more energy than the rest of the comedians combined.

The following clip only shows the beginning of her set where she denounces roast-host Kathy Griffin for stealing her act. For another taste, check out this foul-mouthed clip (Warning: definitely not safe for work).

Roast of Joan Rivers Sun, Aug 9 10pm / 9c
Joan Rivers - On Kathy Griffin
www.comedycentral.com
Live Twitter Roast Roast Master Kathy Griffin Zombie Paparazzi Game

What followed was incredible: Joan Rivers announced that after such a horrendous performance by her roasters, she could not retire because "America needs Joan Rivers!" As a huge American flag billowed down behind her, I could not agree more.  

At the Jewish Women's Archive, we have admired Joan Rivers for many years. She is of the comedians featured in Making Trouble, the award-winning documentary produced by the Jewish Women’s Archive about three generations of trailblazing female Jewish comedians.  We are excited to announce that the film is coming out on DVD at the end of the month! Go to www.makingtrouble/getthefilm to email us to be notified when the DVD is available.

4 Comments
The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly.

Plain text

  • No HTML tags allowed.
  • Web page addresses and email addresses turn into links automatically.
  • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.

That great Joan. You must be feeling proud of yourself.

Paula - I agree! I admire that she is so forthright about her plastic surgery. Have you seen her book, Men Are Stupid and They Like Big Boobs: A Woman's Guide to Beauty Through Plastic Surgery?

This was great to watch. Joan Rivers is an icon in American comedy. She has had a lot of plastic surgery but who cares. If she can afford it then let her go for it. online casino

Kudos to Joan Rivers for being honest about the effects of hysterectomy! In the new book about hysterectomy, THE H WORD, Chapter 48 is titled "Joan Rivers"Liars: hysterectomy didn't improve sex life." You can read more about how hysterectomy ruins sex at hersfoundation.org.

Read the latest from JWA from your inbox.

sign up now

Donate

Help us elevate the voices of Jewish women.

donate now

Get JWA in your inbox

Read the latest from JWA from your inbox.

sign up now

How to cite this page

Berkenwald, Leah. "Joan Rivers - the spitfire of her own roast!." 10 August 2009. Jewish Women's Archive. (Viewed on December 26, 2024) <https://jwa.org/blog/roast>.