Joan Rivers stands by her Holocaust joke

Joan Rivers has refused to cave in to pressure to apologise for a Holocaust joke.

The 79-year-old Jewish comic was branded ‘vulgar and hideous’ by the Anti-Defamation League for a quip she made about the dress model Heidi Klum wore to the Oscars.

‘The last time a German looked this hot was when they were pushing Jews into the ovens,’ Rivers said on the E! show Fashion Police.

The campaign group’s director Abraham H. Foxman said: ‘Of all people, Joan Rivers should know better. There are certain things about the Holocaust that should be taboo. This is especially true for Jews, for whom the Holocaust is still a deeply painful memory.’

‘Almost as bad as her original comment is the fact that she sat there doubled over with laughter after saying it.’

But Rivers remained unapologtic - and when asked why she wouldn’t say sorry, she said: ‘For what?

‘It's a joke No. 1; No. 2 it is about the Holocaust. This is the way I remind people about the Holocaust. I do it through humor.’

Meanwhile, Rivers has also been attacked for making jokes about singer Adele’s weight. She told David Letterman: 'She was very scared because she sang at the awards: "My throat, my throat, I don’t know if I can swallow! I said, "Oh, yeah — you can swallow!"’

The Anti-Defamation League previously criticised Academy Awards host Seth Macfarlane for making jokes about Jews running Hollywood during the ceremony, claiming the quips promoted anti-Semitism.

Published: 1 Mar 2013