The comedy world lost one of its brightest stars when Joan Rivers passed away back in 2014, but her spark still hasn’t been extinguished. Exhibit A to that is the fact that NBC is airing a one-hour comedy special, Joan Rivers: A Dead Funny All-Star Tribute, where many of today’s best comics will pay homage to the Rivers’ legacy.
The special, which airs at 10 pm ET/PT on NBC on Tuesday, May 13, will celebrate the decade since Rivers’ passing by having a series of comedians “revisit Rivers’ legendary cabinet of jokes and add their own personal spin to reflect today’s social and cultural landscape.”
Filmed at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, N.Y., the slate of comedians appearing on the special include Rachel Brosnahan, Margaret Cho, Nikki Glaser, Tiffany Haddish, Chelsea Handler, Neil Patrick Harris, Bill Maher, Howie Mandel, Joel McHale, Tracy Morgan, Patton Oswalt, Aubrey Plaza, Sarah Silverman, Melissa Rivers, Jean Smart and Rita Wilson.
Rivers got her start performing in Borsch Belt showrooms and Greenwich Village cabarets before she earned a chance to headline in Las Vegas and eventually her first appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson in 1968. She parlayed that success into becoming the permanent guest host for Carson.
Rivers would eventually get to have her own late-night show, though The Late Show Starring Joan Rivers only lasted about a year. She had more success as a day-time talk show host, with The Joan Rivers Show earning her an Emmy. Rivers was also a fashion icon, launching her own line of jewelry, apparel and accessories and becoming a fixture on Hollywood red carpets for years, as well as starring in the likes of Mel Brooks' Spaceballs and often as a version of herself in things like Curb Your Enthusiasm and Shrek 2.
Despite the star-studded list of comedians that are performing as part of the special, in an interview with NBC’s Today, Melissa Rivers, Joan Rivers’ daughter and a producer of the special, said that “my mom’s clips still got the biggest laughs. We all walked away saying, ‘still the funniest person in the room.’”
In order to watch Joan Rivers: A Dead Funny All-Star Tribute live on NBC, you need a traditional pay-TV provider, a live TV streaming service (Fubo, Hulu with Live TV, Sling TV and YouTube TV all carry NBC) or a TV antenna. You will also be able to stream it on Peacock on-demand the next day for all subscribers, while Peacock Premium Plus subscribers can watch it live on the platform.
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