What will happen to E!’s Fashion Police following Joan Rivers’ death?
Following the news of Joan Rivers’ death on Thursday, Sarah Silverman commented the 81-year-old comedienne “wasn’t done.”
“I mean, oh my God, I tuned into Fashion Police every Friday because they were the most hard-core jokes on TV,” she said on the new episode of Jimmy Kimmel. “You just can’t believe that she’s saying them.”
Sarah’s tribute raised a valid question about what will happen to E!’s Fashion Police now that the acerbic lead host has passed.
For now, the network is delaying any decisions about the future of Fashion Police, which was previously put on a two-week hold when Joan’s condition was unknown. E! said at that time in a statement to The Los Angeles Times, “We will not be producing a Fashion Police this week or next as we await Joan and Melissa’s return in front and behind the camera.”
After Melissa Rivers — an executive producer of Fashion Police — announced her mother’s death on Thursday, E! first released a statement specifically about mourning Joan’s death. In a separate statement to Deadline, a network spokesperson said they will “respond at a later date with programming updates.”
For now, Joan’s co-hosts sound like they are more focused on dealing with the loss of their friend than the fate of their show.
“It is almost impossible to describe how much I adored Joan and how much she has meant to me,” Giuliana Rancic said on Thursday. “Working with her for the last 13 years has been one of the true joys of my life.”
Kelly Osbourne also memorialized “the only grandmother” she ever knew by saying on Facebook, “I’m completely heartbroken by the loss of my beloved Joan. Not only was she my boss, she was and will always be my teacher, therapist, closest friend, inspiration and the only grandmother I ever knew.”
George Kotsiopoulos was more concise, saying on Twitter, “Rest in peace @Joan_Rivers. Thank you for changing my life. I will miss you so much.”
Although everyone involved in Fashion Police deserves the time to regroup, I have a feeling Joan Rivers would have wanted the show to eventually go on.
