'About time,' she says from beyond the grave

A raft of A-list comedians are to pay tribute to Joan Rivers in a televised gala.

The likes of Margaret Cho, Nikki Glaser, Tiffany Haddish, Chelsea Handler, Bill Maher,  Tracy Morgan and Sarah Silverman filmed the special – Joan Rivers: A Dead Funny All-Star Tribute –  at the Apollo Theater in Harlem in November.

Now it will air on America’s NBC network on May 13, with an extended and uncensored version available the next day on streaming service Peacock.

The premise is that today’s comedians put their own topical spin on Rivers’s material. 

Rivers – who died age 81 in 2014 – said: ’Given that I’m dead, I assume someone will finally decide to honor me. Well, it’s about time.’

The comment came in a letter she left for daughter Melissa.

Meanwhile, Melissa said: ‘This tribute is everything my mother would have wanted — hilarious, unfiltered and filled with people she respected (and roasted). And as usual, she was still the funniest person in the room.

‘It’s incredibly moving to see so many iconic comedians come together to celebrate her legacy, especially the women whose careers she helped make possible by breaking down so many doors. I know she’d be thrilled to see how far things have come, and she’d still have notes. 

‘This is more than a tribute. It’s a reminder of the trail she blazed and the joy she brought to so many.’

Also taking part are  Rachel Brosnahan, Neil Patrick Harris,  Howie Mandel, Joel McHale, Patton Oswalt, Aubrey Plaza, Sarah Silverman, Jean Smart and Rita Wilson.

Published: 4 Apr 2025