Joan Rivers Loses Gig Over Ariel Castro Kidnappings Joke: 'Fashion Police' Host Still Laughing
Joan Rivers may have thought her joke about the women kidnapped by Ariel Castro was funny, but at least one company did not. Unfortunately for the comedian, it was the company sponsoring one of her summer gigs.
A couple of weeks ago, Joan appeared on "Today," where she explained what it was like crashing in her daughter Melissa River's guest room.
"Those women in the basement in Cleveland had more space," she said.
Victims Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus called Rivers' remarks "hurtful," but in lieu of an apology, Rivers offered more offensive remarks, her logic being that as a comedian, "there is nothing to apologize for. I made a joke. That's what I do."
"One of them has a book deal," she reportedly told TMZ. "Neither are in a psych ward. They're OK. I bet you within three years one of them will be on 'Dancing with the Stars.' The TV the guy gave them must not have had 'SNL.'"
Apparently that wasn't enough for Norwegian Cruise Line. According to Page Six, Joan was supposed to go on a cruise to Alaska in July with Melissa and her grandson, Cooper. Joan and Melissa were scheduled to give lectures on the cruise, but they're no longer welcomed.
"Someone from their marketing team called Joan and said they didn't want her," a Page Six source said. "They said they're a family-friendly brand."
The 80-year-old jokester confirmed the news.
"Of course they canceled me," Joan said. "They were terrified what I would say after seeing the size of their cabins. They should be featured on 'Orange Is the New Black.'"
Not surprisingly, Joan remains unabashed by the joke, which has caused her a lot of backlash, and now, a vacation.
"It's insane," she said. "Why would [the joke] affect anyone in Norway? ... They would have had some very nervous Jews. When I got on board, I would have given the captain a Breathalyzer test. We would have brought our own life jackets and slept in the lifeboats."
Joan added that the only person she will apologize to is her daughter "for insulting the size of her guest room."
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