Melissa Rivers is Forging a New Legacy

Being the daughter of the late, comedic icon Joan Rivers, one would think Melissa has a lot to live up to. In reality, she carved her own path and found success in her own way.

Not only is Rivers a philanthropist, advocate, and New York Times bestselling author, she is an award-winning producer best known as the co-creator of E’s wildly successful Fashion Police, where she shared with viewers her candor, quick wit, and meticulous eye for fashion while covering major, red-carpet events. She also starred opposite her mother during four seasons of WeTV’s hit reality series, Joan & Melissa: Joan Knows Best?

While Rivers has plenty of professional achievements to brag about, she says her role as a single parent to her son Cooper is her greatest achievement. 

OFM had an opportunity to chat with Rivers where she let us know how quarantine has been going, current and upcoming projects we should be on the lookout for, and reflects on her mother’s life, and what she is doing to ensure her legacy stays alive. 

How have you and Cooper been managing these days of COVID?

He had to come home from school, and that was rough. It took us a minute to find our footing. It was just the two of us and the dogs, and we had to come up with a divide-and-conquer situation, and we did. We actually got along great. We were very fortunate. Also, which I thought was interesting, we learned how to fight better. We both had to learn and remember not to sulk and hold onto anything. Just let stuff go. So, we did a divide-and-conquer, just like many others. At one point, we were both getting dressed in the laundry room because nothing ended up going upstairs [laughs]. Whoever was going by the washer and dryer had to flip loads. Cooper also took care of the garbage, and I took care of the dishwasher. You have talked a lot about mental health in recent months. 

What tips can you offer to those who are going a little stir crazy at home?

I can’t help you with stir crazy because I am going stir crazy! Number one, you have to stay connected with people. That is a must. This pandemic has really shoved mental health to the forefront and has taken the stigma away, at least 90 percent from where we were. Everybody is talking, reaching out, and admitting to how they feel. I think a lot of the facades with people have dropped, which I think is great. Reach out, talk to someone, realize you are not alone. Do not be scared to ask for help. 

Unfortunately, with the younger generation, and I am including up to 23-25, suicides have gone up. Again, reach out. With my son, it was really hard. He came home halfway through his freshman year. He is a college athlete, and he lost his whole season. They got maybe three games in. Then being isolated and away from your friends, I think everybody is looking at their lives right now and going, ‘This is not how it is supposed to be.’ Reach out and be aware. People who do suffer from depression need to monitor themselves very closely.

Although you and your mother were very close, could you handle being locked in quarantine with her?

[Laughs] That’s a funny one. Surely, you jest. She would have gone bananas! She could not stay anywhere, any place, for very long. Even when she was at home in New York or with us, she had plans all the time. When we would go on vacation, the first three to four days, she would be like, ‘This is great. I don’t have to do anything.’ By day four, she’s like, ‘OK, what are we going to do?’’

OFM March 2021 :: Fierce Femmes

It has been six years since we lost Joan, and I am sure it is still very difficult for you. What do you miss the most about her?

Having someone to really talk to. Part of family—I think people forget this until it is too late—there is a fabric to your life. There are people that only understand other references, and I miss that. I miss that terribly. I miss the stories and her sense of style. I miss her walking around, and at the time, it made me crazy, moving stuff around my house, but now that I am in the middle of a move, I miss having her to talk to. I miss the person saying to me that it is going to be OK. I miss the person who would pick me up. I miss that person. 

What items of hers did you keep that you could not part with?
I kept a lot of stuff. My parents had an amazing art collection. I kept the art, the Faberge egg, her dishes, all her silver, but the things that mean the most to me, I kept the little silver cups that she had with her makeup brushes and toothbrush. Most of the stuff from her bathroom vanity, and now it is on mine.

What was it like growing up? When did you fully understand how big of a celebrity your mom was?
I don’t think you ever process it 100 percent if the parent did it correctly. They should be your parent first, and you should be able to understand there is a difference between work and home life, and my parents were very adamant about understanding that there is a separation. Cooper has been raised understanding that there is a separation. So, I think it sort of just dawns on you. It’s not like one day you wake up and go whoa! It is one of those things where you kind of just get it. 

There are some new Joan Rivers comedy albums being released this year. Can you tell us more about that?
Yes! We are doing compilations and putting together some of her best work, and we are very excited!

Why do you think she was such an LGBTQ icon?

I get asked this all the time, and I always wish I had a more interesting answer, but I think it really comes down to identifying as an outsider. Being someone that other people do not necessarily understand. And obviously, especially relating on a level of humor. We can get more shallow and talk about fashion and this and that, but the real, bottom line is, she said what nobody would dare say at the times that she said it. I remember when my mom and I were at the top of our red-carpet stuff, and I think however many years we did it, we were only invited to the Vanity Fair party twice. My mom was in the magazine one year for award season, and we did not get invited. So, the idea of an outsider has been my mom’s thing her whole life, and I inherited that. Lucky me. I think with the LGBTQ community specifically, it was the feeling of being different, and that made her relatable.

“I think with the LGBTQ community specifically, it was the feeling of being different, and that made her relatable.”

What are you going to do to ensure that her legacy stays alive?

Oh, dear God. There are so many answers [laughs]. Her number-one legacy are me and Cooper, and much more Cooper than even me. How he approaches his life, and I hate saying, but what is expected from him. She lived in a world and created a world where manners, accountability, and doing good outside of yourself mattered. He has all of that. 

Also, keeping the legacy alive, again, we are going to release tapes; we still have the collection on QVC; I post her joke cards; we have a couple projects based on some of her previous works that people want to remake. I think there is a lot, but most of it is protecting the voice. I get a lot of questions about what she would have to say right now. Always, my answer is, a whole lot. 

Joan and Donald Trump were social friends, and she even won when she appeared on The Apprentice. What do you think she would have thought about his presidency?

I think it would be the same thing I got stuck with, which was the person that we have worked with and the person that we knew socially did not reconcile with the president. People do not understand that. He has a good sense of humor. Remember, he was a democrat for a long, long time. He is an incredibly loyal person, which went out the window. I think a lot of people really struggled who knew him before. It was the person that suddenly inhabited the White House versus the person you had known all these years.

One of the biggest projects you and your mom are known for is Fashion Police. For those who may not know, how did it begin, and what kind of impact do you believe it left?

It started with the Red Carpet, and little by little, all the fashion became more relevant. People started paying attention at who people were wearing. That first evolved into a series of specials and shows, and eventually, it evolved into a weekly show. Do I think my mother, and I am sure I will be following, went to Heaven or Hell for creating this show? I am not quite sure, but I wish I knew what to pack for! I don’t know if we are going pleasant 70 with sun, or somewhere really hot with humidity. If she came back to tell me something, I wish it would be that. I like to say, with the Red Carpets and fashion, we somehow managed to release the kraken.

Can you tell us more about your podcast, Melissa Rivers’ Group Text? 

Absolutely! When you do a podcast, they always want to make you stay in a lane. It has to be a mommy podcast, a health podcast, lifestyle, political. I have an amazing group of friends from college, and I was looking back at all our group texts, and it was hilarious. What I noticed more than anything is that we cover every topic. I went back and read some of them that were just funny. I was always taking screenshots and sending them to other friends because there was funny stuff. If I am going to do a podcast, it has to reflect my life, and no one’s life is in one lane. That is why I did not want to be pushed into only talking about mommy or only talking about fashion. 

I wanted to create a podcast that covered everything that I am interested in and what I think my fans are interested in. During all the social changes, I started a miniseries called ‘Can We Talk? Can We Listen?’ where I had on historians, activists, and different kinds of people. Then I did a whole miniseries on the state of comedy, then another one on reality shows. I am all over the place, but they are fun. We have our serious moments, but joke ‘em if they can’t take a fuck. 

Are you currently doing any philanthropy work you would like to talk about?
Definitely! I am on the Board of Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services and Suicide Prevention, which is why I have been talking a lot about mental health. I am a big suicide prevention advocate, especially for younger people. Teen suicide and young adult suicide is terrifying to me, and there is help out there. That is one of my big ones. I started the Can We Talk Fund, which I have already made some donations through. It is about encouraging people to have difficult conversations and not being afraid to do so. My first big donation was to the Colin Kaepernick Foundation because he started a national conversation. 

I am also on the Board for CAP UCLA, where we support emerging artists. When I say artists, I mean across the board. We have really tried to help during the pandemic. It is run by this amazing woman, Kristy Edmunds. I support so much, but those are my biggies. I have done a lot with Guide Dogs for the Blind, a lot for LGBTQ, my mother was on the board of God’s Love We Deliver. Again, I think that is part of the legacy. 

Do you currently have any books in the works?
I do have a new book in the works that was supposed to come out on Mother’s Day, but it does not look like that is going to happen because someone got behind on her deadline [laughs]. It’s called, Lies My Mother Told Me, and it is a comedy book. It is basically our family history and history of the world according to my mother. Did you know that Plymouth Rock was actually a lesbian bar? Stories like that. Like, it wasn’t the last supper, it was the last brunch. Look at what’s on the table. It will probably come out during the summer. 

What more do you hope to accomplish with your platform?
God, there’s nothing that I don’t want to accomplish. I love having the ability to have conversations, both serious and fun. I think there are a lot of people out there like me that are truly centrists, and I think we have lost a voice in that because everyone is so scared. I think everyone is thinking in a broad stroke of what team you are on. It is okay to say, well, I like this and I like that, but I don’t like this and I don’t like that. I think more people are like me in that sense. 

The platform, obviously, I would like to start doing it as a show, or at least doing video with it because I think the conversations I have are fun, and sometimes serious. Even when things are serious, the best humor is the black humor. In the darkest of times, you have to find something to laugh at, or at least giggle about to break the tension, or you will die. My mom always said, if they could take the funniest Israeli and the funniest Palestinian and put them in a room together, we would come out with peace because you cannot hate anyone you laugh with. You can disagree with them, but it is hard to hate someone you have laughed with. 

Before we wrap up, are there any other upcoming projects or anything else you would like to mention or plug?
Not right now. We got a lot in the works and a lot of big announcements coming, which is very exciting!

To stay up-to-date with Rivers, follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, or visit her official website, melissarivers.com.