Joan Rivers Honored By The National Comedy Center

Can we talk? In celebration of what would have been comedian Joan Rivers’ 90th birthday, the National Comedy Center museum in Jamestown, New York will house an exhibit honoring her life. Featured, in particular, will be a file cabinet containing over 65,000 original jokes spanning from the start of her career in the 1950s to 2014 when she died.

“I am so honored that my mother’s archives will have a home at the National Comedy Center. To be included with the legends of comedy who are represented at the National Comedy Center is amazing. My mother would have been thrilled to be seated at the best table,” said Melissa Rivers in a statement.

Joan and Melissa, of course, worked together on the weekly Fashion Police half-hour on E! Entertainment at the time of Joan’s passing (not to mention many other projects over the years).

Highlights from the collection at The National Comedy Center include Rivers’ earliest hand-written jokes, personally compiled scrapbooks, never-before-heard autobiographical audio recordings, hundreds of pre-show preparatory notes, correspondence with peers in entertainment, the guest books from her run as host of The Late Show with Joan Rivers, and a selection of her gowns, boas, and jewelry.

“Joan Rivers was a master of evolution who ascended—again and again—to the heights of success in an industry that was not structured in her favor, blazing a wide and clear trail for generations of artists who would follow,” stated National Comedy Center Executive Director Journey Gunderson in a statement. “She is not only a role model for women in comedy, but for all artists who desire to wield comedy’s expressive power to communicate something vital about the human condition.”

According to the press release, the exhibit at The National Comedy Center will “offer a deep dive into the artistic process of a culture-shifting innovator whose singular body of work exemplifies extraordinary craftsmanship and professional resilience. “

“Joan Rivers is among the most influential stand-up comedians in the history of the art form. Her legacy, characterized by bold truth-telling, personal vulnerability, and a raw determination to make great art, altered the trajectory of American cultural history—more than once,” said the National Comedy Center’s Director of Archives, Dr. Laura LaPlaca, in a statement.

Additionally, Melissa Rivers announced the launch of a 4-disc CD box set collection titled Joan Rivers – The Diva Rides Again that will feature five hours of never-before-released recordings of Joan’s comedy (including six decades worth of material and a 16-page collector’s book of liner notes with photos).

Launched in 2018, the National Comedy Center was established following Lucille Ball’s vision to establish a national-scale hub for the celebration of the comedic craft in her hometown. Dozens of exhibits at The National Comedy Center using personalized technology take fans on an interactive journey through comedic history. Included is vaudeville, film, television and stage; from slapstick and stand-up to satire to edgy, and everything in between.