NBC to Honor Joan Rivers with All-Star Comedy Tribute Special

NBC will celebrate comedy legend Joan Rivers with Joan Rivers: A Dead Funny All-Star Tribute on Tuesday, May 13 at 10 p.m. ET/PT. The one-hour all-star comedy special will feature today’s biggest comedians as they pay homage to Rivers’ razor-sharp humor and impact on pop culture.  

To celebrate the decade since her passing, the comedy community will revisit Rivers’ legendary cabinet of jokes and add their own personal spin to reflect today’s social and cultural landscape, along with a dose of their original material.     

Filmed at the world-famous Apollo Theater in Harlem, Joan Rivers: A Dead Funny All-Star Tribute will feature appearances, musical bits and standup comedy from today’s biggest artists who have been touched by her legacy, including Rachel Brosnahan, Margaret Cho, Nikki Glaser, Tiffany Haddish, Chelsea Handler, Neil Patrick Harris, Bill Maher, Howie Mandel, Joel McHale, Tracy Morgan, Patton Oswalt, Aubrey Plaza, Sarah Silverman, Melissa Rivers, Jean Smart and Rita Wilson.    

On May 14, an extended and uncensored version of “Joan Rivers: A Dead Funny All-Star Tribute” will debut on Peacock and will feature additional comics, who will be announced later. “Given that I’m dead, I assume someone will finally decide to honor me. Well, it’s about time,” Rivers said in a letter she left for her daughter, Melissa Rivers. 

Rivers’ rise to fame began in the 1960s when she made her television debut on “The Ed Sullivan Show.” Her unique brand of humor, which often pushed societal boundaries and tackled taboo topics, quickly gained national attention. In the early ’70s, Rivers was a regular on “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson” on NBC, where she became one of the few women in the late-night television scene. Her sharp, clever banter with Carson made her a household name. Rivers guest-hosted nearly 200 episodes. 

Rivers became a fixture on the E! Network and notoriously coined the phrase “Who are you wearing?” on “E!’s Live from the Red Carpet” telecast before every major award show. Rivers hosted the popular E! series “Fashion Police,” where she appeared in more than 100 episodes discussing the do’s and don’ts of celebrity fashion. 

An unparalleled legend in the entertainment industry, Rivers was more than just a comedian, she was a force of nature. An internationally recognized celebrity, Emmy Award-winning talk-show host, Grammy Award-winning performer, Tony Award-nominated actress, bestselling author, playwright, screenwriter, film director, columnist, lecturer, radio host, jewelry designer, entrepreneur and the renowned creator of the modern day red carpet interview show, Rivers was also the first woman to break the glass ceiling of male-hosted late-night television.

The special was filmed on the opening night of the 2024 New York Comedy Festival. Proceeds from the show benefited the charity God’s Love We Deliver, where Rivers served on the Board of Directors and was actively involved for many years.  

Joan Rivers: A Dead Funny All-Star Tribute is executive produced by Melissa Rivers, Chris Convy, Erich Bergen and David Jammy on behalf of Done + Dusted. Michael Matuza is co-executive producer.