14 DAY TRIAL // Joan Rivers was a pioneer in showbiz, opening the door not just for countless other female comedians, but also for fashion commentators. She is credited with almost single-handedly turning the red carpet ceremony that precedes every awards show into the phenomenon it is today.
Joan Rivers died last night, aged 81, after botched surgery that sent her into a coma. The show she turned into one of the most watched of its kind, E!’s Fashion Police segment, is officially on a 2-week hiatus, but there’s some talk online it might not come back on air at all.
“E! will not be producing a new Fashion Police this week or next. Instead, we will be airing two E! From Fashion Week specials that will deliver the latest news and information from the highly-anticipated event,” the network tells Deadline in a statement.
As for reports that the show might not return on air at all after Joan’s death, E! is showing reservations in saying anything at the moment. “Right now we are mourning our beloved Joan. We will respond at a later date with programming updates,” the statement continues.
Granted, Joan wasn’t the only commentator on the show, but she was the one who made it truly worth watching. It was always her particular brand of humor, sharp and direct and sometimes even offensive, that made her such a hit with audiences: Joan was a celebrity as well, but she called it as if she was never part of the “gang” and this made her more relatable.
If E! is considering continuing with the show, either with the remaining hosts or by bringing someone to replace Joan, they must tread carefully: a presence as strong as Joan’s isn’t that easy to just “replace.” I’ll keep you posted on the decision, as soon as it’s made public.