--- ---  # Remembering Joan Rivers: Groundbreaking Feminist Icon ## Video: Joan Rivers: A Hilarious and Unapologetic Career [Watch (HLS stream): Joan Rivers: A Hilarious and Unapologetic Career](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/URFsJdAT.m3u8) (1:39)  _Published 2014-09-04. Joan Rivers: A Hilarious and Unapologetic Career_  by [Eliana Dockterman](https://time.com/author/eliana-dockterman/)  ## Eliana Dockterman Correspondent Sep 4, 2014 7:29 PM UTC  Joan Rivers, pictured here in 1965, was born Joan Alexandra Molinsky in Brooklyn N.Y. on June 8, 1933. Joan Rivers, pictured here in 1965, was born Joan Alexandra Molinsky in Brooklyn N.Y. on June 8, 1933.Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images  by [Eliana Dockterman](https://time.com/author/eliana-dockterman/)  ## Eliana Dockterman Correspondent Sep 4, 2014 7:29 PM UTC Joan Rivers hated being labeled a pioneer: she thought it made her sound old and irrelevant. “It upsets me to say I’m a pioneer because I’m so current now, you know?” she [told PBS](http://www.pbs.org/wnet/pioneers-of-television/video/joan-rivers-on-being-a-pioneer/) in 2012\. “I don’t like when the ladies come up and say, ‘Oh, you broke barriers for women.’ And I say, ‘I’m still breaking barriers.'” Rivers worked almost up until her death on Thursday at age 81\. She took every job she could get so that fans and industry insiders alike knew that she was no starlet of yesteryear; she was still searching for the next frontier. Rivers isn’t the only one to bristle at the idea that she’s an icon of progress for women. The comic quickly made an enemy of the feminist movement by picking on other celebrities for the way they looked, how much they weighed or their sex lives. She was infamous for diving into inflammatory subjects lambasting everyone in her path. But she often positioned herself as the butt of the joke too: she quipped about her penchant for plastic surgery and even her husband’s suicide. Nothing was off-limits as Rivers wise-cracked her way to the top. And it was this undisguised and “unladylike” desire for success that made Rivers a feminist icon. As revealed in the recent documentary about her life, _Joan Rivers: A Piece of_ _Work_, Rivers had an incredible work ethic, packing her schedule with standup shows in addition to her E! show _Fashion Police_ and red carpet gigs. She famously hated an empty calendar. Each decision she made—even if it was at the expense of others—was in the pursuit of personal empowerment. Rivers blazed trails for other women in the comedic industry by bringing taboo topics like abortion to light onstage. Without her, there would be no Sarah Silverman or Chelsea Handler or Amy Schumer. Here are just a few of Joan Rivers’ first: **Feminizing Comedy** Though Rivers—especially as she aged—let jokes about her looks roll off her back, she says she was the first female comedian to refuse to try to be one of the men. The few female comedians working when Rivers began disguised their femininity behind frumpy outfits. Rivers, on the other hand, dressed undeniably like a woman with full hair and makeup. She once quipped, “Women should look good. Work on yourselves. Education? I spit on education. No man is ever going to put his hand up your dress looking for a library card.” Some women resented Rivers’ obsession with looks and her conviction that women must present themselves as beautiful. But she opened new doors for women comics who can now decide to dress however they want during a set. “I don’t think there’d be a Tina Fey now if I hadn’t tried to look good in the beginning,” she [told NPR](http://www.npr.org/2010/06/09/127556307/comedian-joan-rivers-is-a-real-piece-of-work) in 2010. Rivers made it clear she didn’t do this for her fellow female comedians but in order to distinguish herself and her own career. “But I think of opening doors not just for women comedians — I never think about women,” she continued. “I think just \[that I’m\] always trying to push for myself, push the boundaries \[and\] make them listen. Make them listen to the truth and laugh about it.” **Joking About Abortion** Joan Rivers was perhaps the first comedian to joke about abortions. In one of her bits, she spoke about how friends of hers would leave the country to have “appendectomies” when everyone really knew it was an abortion. “And by making jokes about it, you brought it into a position where you could look at it and deal with it. It was no longer something that you couldn’t discuss and had to whisper about,” she told NPR. “When you whisper about something, it’s too big and you can’t get it under control and take control of it.” **Joking About Being Gay** Abortion wasn’t the only secretive subject that Rivers brought to light: the comedian also joked about being gay at a time when even talking about homosexuality was revolutionary. “My original record, not even a CD, that I played for my daughter, which was called[ _Mr. Phyllis & Other Funny Stories_](http://www.allmusic.com/album/joan-rivers-presents-mr-phyllis-and-other-funny-stories-mw0002076502)—Mr. Phyllis was my hairdresser, and that was very shocking, that you dared to say your hairdresser was gay,” she told the A.V. Club in 2010, referring to the comedy album she put out in 1965\. “I know it sounds so stupid.” **She Didn’t Need to Be Liked** Rivers withstood a lot of criticism throughout her career. In doing so, she demonstrated that women don’t always have to be appealing and likeable. “When people hate me, that’s good,” she told the A.V. Club. “They know I’m there. You’re not a chorus kid. Remember in _A Chorus Line_, she’s having trouble and he keeps saying, ‘You’re standing out,’ and she’s trying not to? They hate me? That’s good.” ### Joan Rivers: A Life of Laughter in Pictures  Joan Rivers, pictured here in 1965, was born Joan Alexandra Molinsky in Brooklyn N.Y. on June 8, 1933. Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images  Rivers got her big break on "The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson" in 1965. Dan Grossi—AP  Comedienne Joan Rivers making faces in a mirror on the street in New York City on March 1, 1966. Truman Moore—The TIME & LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Comedienne Joan Rivers wearing black mesh dress and heels, while talking on the phone in a bathtub in New York City on March 1, 1966. Truman Moore—The TIME & LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Joan Rivers lights a cigar for her husband Edgar Rosenberg after giving birth to baby Melissa Frida, 6lb 13.5 oz, in New York City on Jan. 20, 1968. New York Daily News/Getty Images  Joan Rivers, Dick Cavett, and Liza Minnelli on This Morning, Feb. 12, 1968. ABC Photo Archives/Getty Images  Ed McMahon and host Joan Rivers on Kraft Music Hall on Aug. 21, 1968. NBC/Getty Images  Comedian Rodney Dangerfield (L) and actress Joan Rivers wrapping up Dick Cavett (C) in a scene from the Portnoy's Complaint, Jan. 1, 1969. Arthur Schatz—The TIME & LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Joan Rivers with daughter Melissa at home in New York City in Nov., 1970. I C Rapoport/Getty Images  Producer Edgar Rosenberg and wife comedian Joan Rivers during the Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson 10th Anniversary party on September 30, 1972 in New York City. NBC/Getty Images  Actress Joan Rivers guest stars on "The Carol Bunett Show" on Dec. 13, 1975 in Los Angeles. CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images  One of the many accolades that Rivers received during her life was being named "Woman of the Year" by Hasty Pudding Theatricals, the Harvard University drama group in 1984\. She celebrated by riding a parade float through Harvard Square. Ted Gartland—AP  Rivers' celebrity gave her the opportunity to meet prominent figures in show business and politics, including Nancy Reagan in 1984. Bettmann/Corbis  Rivers, pictured in 1985 with star wrestler Hulk Hogan, became a regular guest host of the Tonight Show in the early 1980s and published "The Life and Hard Times of Heidi Abramowitz," a best-seller, in 1984. AP  Oprah Winfrey was one of the many that Rivers interviewed during her guest-hosting stints on "The Tonight Show" in 1986. NBC/Getty Images  By 1986, Rivers had been cut out of Carson's circle, having signed on to host "The Late Show Starring Joan Rivers" on Fox. Elton John, Cher and Pee Wee Herman joined Rivers for her first episode. Bob Galbraith—AP  Rivers remained on "The Late Show " for less than a year before leaving Fox in 1987 and starting her work on "The Joan Rivers Talk Show" in 1989. Nick Ut—AP  Joan Rivers is honored with a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on July 26, 1989, at Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood Ron Galella—WireImage/Getty Images  Rivers, pictured with RuPaul in 1993, won a Daytime Emmy Award for hosting the eponymous "Joan Rivers Show" in 1990. Jim Cooper—AP  Rivers, pictured with Kelly Osbourne and daughter Melissa in 2012, became best-known to younger generations for hosting E!'s red carpet pre-awards show for the Oscars. A. Ariani—Splash News/Corbis  Pictured here at the Sundance Film Festival in 2010, Rivers remained active up to her death, hosting internet talk show with her daughter Melissa, "In Bed with Joan." Andrea Collins—WireImage/Getty Images Joan Rivers Dead: Groundbreaking Feminist Comedian Dies ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3267709/joan-rivers-dead-feminism-comedy/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3267709/joan-rivers-dead-feminism-comedy/"},"headline":"Remembering Joan Rivers: Groundbreaking Feminist Icon","datePublished":"2014-09-04T19:29:23.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:44:25.885Z","description":"The comedian paved the way for other women—even if she didn't plan to","url":"https://time.com/3267709/joan-rivers-dead-feminism-comedy/","keywords":["Living","remembrance","joan rivers"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2d38727586d1a93f/6986a1a7169ab04dfd27afab/joan-rivers-01.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Eliana Dockterman","jobTitle":"Correspondent","url":"https://time.com/author/eliana-dockterman/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2d38727586d1a93f/6986a1a7169ab04dfd27afab/joan-rivers-01.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Joan Rivers Dead Obit","caption":"Joan Rivers Dead Obit","creditText":"Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-living/","name":"Living"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3267709/joan-rivers-dead-feminism-comedy/","name":"Remembering Joan Rivers: Groundbreaking Feminist Icon"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Joan Rivers: A Hilarious and Unapologetic Career","description":"Joan Rivers: A Hilarious and Unapologetic Career","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/URFsJdAT/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2014-09-04T19:01:48.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/URFsJdAT.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3267709/joan-rivers-dead-feminism-comedy/","duration":"PT1M39S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3267709/joan-rivers-dead-feminism-comedy/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```