Bob CollinsI saw a couple of tweets over the weekend from some male funny people who couldn’t understand why Joan Rivers, who died today, was getting Twitter love as she lay in a coma. Sure, she was a funny person and all, but her act was “mean.”
Maybe. Maybe not. Comedy is subjective. Humanity shouldn’t be.
But what Rivers accomplished for female comediennes can’t be tweeted away.
That was 1967.
She became more of a household word when Johnny Carson made her the substitute host of the Tonight Show. In the age of gender enlightenment, here’s a list of all the other women who’ve hosted the late-night shows on network TV:
Now, fast-forward 45 years to her appearance on Louis, and a scene that she and Louis CK rewrote together.
Forty-five years. Still funny. Still working.
That’s why.
Joan Rivers will always be a pioneer. She paved the way for a lot of comedians. I’m very sad she’s gone. pic.twitter.com/i1uE9fyHMh
— Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) September 4, 2014
