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Oscars 2015: Joan Rivers Was Left Out of In Memoriam Segment, Fans Are Upset

Academy says they couldn’t fit her in the Oscarcast

Feb 23, 2015 10:51 GMT  ·  By
Joan Rivers would probably have a lot of mean and funny things to say about being snubbed in the Oscars 2015 In Memoriam tribute
   Joan Rivers would probably have a lot of mean and funny things to say about being snubbed in the Oscars 2015 In Memoriam tribute

Every year, the Academy pays a touching tribute to the industry people we lost in the previous year, with the In Memoriam segment included in the Oscars. This year’s gala was no different.

Oscar-nominee Meryl Streep introduced the photo collage for this segment, and Jennifer Hudson performed “I Can’t Let Go” from “Smash,” the TV musical. Lauren Bacall, Robin Williams, Ruby Dee, Maya Angelou, Mike Nichols and many others were included, but not Joan Rivers.

The comedienne, who died last August following complications from a routine intervention on her vocal chords, never won an Oscar but she had 38 acting credits to her name, including the critically acclaimed documentary “Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work” and appearances on “Iron Man 3” and “Spaceballs.”

She was as essential to the Oscars and all the other major awards shows as the actors who show up without being nominated, if only because she was a red carpet fixture thanks to her job as an E! fashion correspondent. She coined the phrase “Who are you wearing?” and turned the red carpet ceremony into what it is today, with the good and the bad together.

Fans believe she should have been included in the montage, because she’d been a very influential figure in showbiz - just like her daughter Melissa said on the red carpet right before the ceremony.

In a statement to THR, the Academy apologizes for the oversight but stresses that they couldn’t fit her in as well because of the tight schedule. However, they add, she is included in the online version of the tribute.