Joan Rivers and Melissa Rivers were known for their famous Fashion Police critique. It’s been nearly five years since E!’s long-running red carpet fashion commentary series came to an end, and almost eight years since the comedic legend sadly passed in 2014. As Melissa sat down with HollywoodLife EXCLUSIVELY to discuss her new book Lies My Mother Told Me: Tall Tales from a Short Woman, she also shared her thoughts on Laverne Cox who has since stepped into the role as host of E!’s Live From E!.
“I think Laverne did great!” Melissa said after the Orange Is the New Black alum hit the 2022 Academy Awards red carpet on March 27 and gave input on glamorous looks of the night. “Watching Laverne the other night, it was the first time I said, ‘God, I wish I could be back on the red carpet.’ Someone finally brought some levity and fun back, and there was an ease and an enjoyment. I mean, it made me really happy.”
Meanwhile, Melissa has been busy promoting her new book which features a collection of hilarious stories her mother Joan passed off to her as true. “You have to look at this one as a comedy book. It is definitely a very heightened reality. It’s satire,” Melissa said. “I got to write in my mother’s voice, which I know so well, the most outrageous things I could think of.”
“My whole family including my dad, that’s how we dealt with everything was through humor, and it was really you know, my mom used to say that if you can make somebody laugh, you’re giving them a mini vacation,” Melissa added. “I think it’s just how we all were wired was even in the darkest of times to be able, not necessarily to see something funny, but to see something absurd or ridiculous.”
Melissa also opened up about how Joan might have handled being in lockdown amid the COVID-19 pandemic. “Oh, I think she would have been climbing the walls,” Melissa admitted. “She was not someone to ever stay home. I’m sure she would’ve rearranged her furniture about 112 times. She would have gone bananas. And she probably would have flown out of New York and moved in with me which would not have been good for my mental health.”
For more laughs, make sure to pick up a copy of Melissa’s book Lies My Mother Told Me: Tall Tales from a Short Woman which hits stands April 12.