Last month, a group of iconic comedians and actors came together at the Apollo Theater in New York to pay tribute to the one, the only Joan Rivers — and yet of all the jokes in the room, and there were many, the ones that got the most laughs were those of the iconic Jewish comedian herself, who passed away in 2014.
“Given that I’m dead, I assume someone will finally decide to honor me. Well, it’s about time,” Rivers apparently told her daughter, TV producer and writer Melissa Rivers, in a letter that she left for her to read after her death. And while Rivers has been honored countless times over the past decade, “Joan Rivers: A Dead Funny All-Star Tribute,” which will air on NBC and stream on Peacock later this month, is a particularly special show. It was not only put together by Melissa, but it also raised money for Rivers’ favorite charity, God’s Love We Deliver, which provides meals for those in need in different locations across New York and New Jersey.
The tribute show came together in three months, Melissa shared on the “Today” show this week. It featured many jokes from her mother, the first woman to host a late-night show and the inspiration behind shows like “Hacks” and “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” whose stars Jean Smart and Rachel Brosnahan were both part of the show. It turns out, Rivers’ archive of jokes — 65,000 of them, to be exact — became a part of the National Comedy Center in 2023, which means it was easy to incorporate them into the evening.
And while Rivers’ jokes were the funniest of the night, there were plenty of other good ones. One notable moment was when comedian Tiffany Haddish shared a musical number, singing mazel tov to the crowd. The show was meticulously organized, with each comedian touching on a different theme central to Rivers’ comedy. Rivers inspired entire generations of comedians; Margaret Cho, Nikki Glaser, Chelsea Handler, Neil Patrick Harris, Bill Maher, Howie Mandel, Joel McHale, Tracy Morgan, Patton Oswalt, Aubrey Plaza, Sarah Silverman, Melissa Rivers and Rita Wilson all participated and shared their funny and heartfelt odes to Joan, a woman who changed their lives.
“She walked so that we could run,” Handler said of Rivers from the stage.
“This tribute is everything my mother would have wanted — hilarious, unfiltered and filled with people she respected (and roasted),” Melissa shared in a statement. “I know she’d be thrilled to see how far things have come, and she’d still have notes. This is more than a tribute. It’s a reminder of the trail she blazed and the joy she brought to so many.”
“Joan Rivers: A Dead Funny All-Star Tribute” will air on NBC at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT on May 13, and stream in its extended and uncensored version on Peacock on May 14.
