In comedy, goes the old joke, the most important thing is timing. I quoted this when I commented on a Facebook pal’s post about Joan Rivers, saying she left this world at the right time — because much of her humor was pretty nasty to women.
The FB pal, who’s a feminist, took me to task — saying Rivers was not only a feminist icon, blazing trails for female comedians, Rivers was also a gay icon, hosting AIDS benefits back when most stars feared being associated with the disease even by name only.
One reason I don’t call myself a feminist is because I, a man, don’t have the audacity to argue with a woman about who’s a feminist icon or not. I will say that much of Rivers’ humor was ridiculing women who did not adhere to her standards of beauty, femininity, or virtuousness. In her last year of life, she called Michelle Obama the slur for transgender while calling Barack Obama gay.
Rivers also publicly said younger entertainers like Chelsea Handler and Jennifer Lawrence had slept their way to the top — a common accusation for successful women. But Rivers never said a mumbling word about Harvey Weinstein, Bill Cosby, or any of the other powerful men in Hollywood who have since been documented as predators.
If Rivers was privy to how Handler and Lawrence succeeded — which, let’s face it, was speculation — she sure should have known about male predators in the industry. But she chose to slander women, who had done no harm compared to what men had done.
I thought Rivers was hilarious back in the day, too. But a turning point came when I read an excerpt from Elizabeth Taylor’s diet book, “Elizabeth Takes Off.” In it, the legend, who had been a frequent target of Rivers due to her weight problems in the 80s, documented her 50 lb. weight loss. After slimming down, she ran into Rivers at a benefit, and they had this exchange:
“‘Elizabeth, you look wonderful! I just want you to think about why I said those things about you when you were heavy.’
‘Okay, I’ll certainly do that,’ I (Elizabeth Taylor) answered, and tried to get away. She held onto my hand and repeated, ‘No, no, I mean it. I really want you to think why I did it.’
‘Okay, Joan, I’ll think about it,’ I answered as I extricated my hand and walked away. I didn’t have to think about it; I knew what she was implying. She was taking credit for my losing weight…Jokes were made about my weight because they got laughs, period.’”
Just as Bill Cosby was an important stepping stone in comedy and did many important things for civil rights, Rivers played a crucial role in the evolution of women advancing in comedy. But, as with much of evolution, some things don’t age that well. Rivers was never guilty of anything as heinous as Cosby’s crimes, but she profited from a misogyny that doesn’t look so hot today.
