Joan Rivers Joke Offends Ariel Castro Victims on The 'Today' Show: Unapologetic Comedian Tells Captives to "Lighten Up"
Leave it to Joan Rivers' loud mouth to land her in the middle of a mess. The 80-year-old comedian has never been one to bite her tongue, but it seems she may have taken her "joke" about the Cleveland women who were held captive and tortured by Ariel Castro for over a decade a bit too far.
While on the set of the "Today" show with daughter Melissa, the pair was asked what it was like living together.
Joan responded, "I'm still in the same stupid little room. Those women in the basement in Cleveland had more space."
The Washington Post reports that as soon as Joan made the "joke" (if you even want to call it that), her daughter's jaw dropped in disbelief.
"Too soon?" Rivers asked when she noticed her daughter's reaction.
Al Roker, who was interviewing the two ladies, was practically speechless.
"You be the judge," he managed to say.
Naturally, Joan's insensitive joke has sparked enormous public outrage. The lawyers for two of the captive women, Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus, even demanded an apology from Joan.
So how did she respond? Well, Joan simply told Amanda, Gina, and their lawyers to get over it.
"I'm a comedienne,'' she told the Cleveland Plain Dealer. "I know what those girls went through. It was a little, stupid joke. There is nothing to apologize for. I made a joke. That's what I do. Calm down. Calm (expletive) down. I'm a comedienne. They're free, so let's move on.''
But wait, there's more.
Joan later went to TMZ to explain that she feels the female victims should "lighten up." No, we're not kidding.
"One of them has a book deal. 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,'" Joan teased.
It's unclear what's worse, Joan's disrespectful joke, or her unapologetic response to the disrespectful joke. Here's a tip, Joan: jokes are actually supposed to make people laugh. You definitely missed the mark on on that one.
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