http://www.hitfix.com/starr-raving/what-if-joan-rivers-hadnt-been-fired-from-her-fox-talk-show

In October 1986, comedian Joan Rivers debuted her own late night talk show on FOX. It was a move based on Rivers' work as the permanent guest host for Johnny Carson on NBC's "The Tonight Show," which was strong enough for most people to think Rivers might be a logical choice to take over when Carson retired. But that idea fell apart after a confidential memo for NBC executives was leaked listing ten possible replacements for Carson -- and Rivers was nowhere on the list. When Carson decided to sign on for a three year contract and Rivers was only given a one-year extension on her deal, she had no problem hopping networks (and taking a bigger payday) from FOX. Unfortunately, her screw-you to NBC also made Carson feel blindsided. After the move, he never spoke to Rivers again. Ultimately, it was all for naught. Rivers was fired in May of 1987.

What if "The Late Show Starring Joan Rivers" on FOX wasn't cancelled?

Three things that might not have happened:

'The Arsenio Hall Show' might never have happened
Hall stepped in for Rivers as a permanent guest host and might have been the logical choice to take over -- but by the time execs figured out his ratings were worth pursuing, FOX had already canceled the show and had ordered episodes of what was to be the short-lived "The Wilton North Report." After that, Hall wasn't going to be available anyway, as he was off to film the Eddie Murphy vehicle "Coming to America." It was all a case of bad timing for FOX, which tried to shoehorn in Howard Stern (his pilots never aired) and Ross Shafer to keep the franchise afloat. Luckily, Hall had already proven himself as a draw for younger audience, so he signed on for his own show -- with Paramount -- in 1989.

We never would have had to see the mess that was "The Chevy Chase Show."
Even though FOX had a run of very bad luck after Rivers, that didn't stop the network from trying to find a show to fit the late night slot after a lengthy break. In 1993, the network launched "The Chevy Chase Show." It lasted for five weeks, which may have been the longest five weeks in television history. Certainly wall-to-wall helicopter chases might have been easier to watch. Chase, clearly out of his element, tried to recreate the pratfalls and silliness that worked during his "Saturday Night Live" heyday to very poor effect, while blundering through interviews with a cringe-worthy lack of élan. To this day, the show still shows up on "worst ever" lists.

The battle between Jay Leno and David Letterman for "The Tonight Show" might have been very different.
It's hard to predict what might have happened if Rivers had just talked to Carson about her plans to leave (chances are, he would have told her to walk -- which is what he later recommended to David Letterman when NBC executives overruled Carson's recommendation and hired Leno instead). If the battle for "The Tonight Show" had become a three-person race (and Rivers hadn't already proven herself as a lackluster ratings draw on FOX), there's no guessing where all of the players might have landed.

Three things we predict might have happened:

We'd have more women than just the largely one-note Chelsea Handler in late night slots.

We would have been spared the blather that is "Fashion Police."

Melissa Rivers would not have become her mom's reliable TV sidekick.

Did history work out for the best?
Not really. Even if you hate Joan Rivers (and many people do), she was more than competent in taking care of the franchise when Carson was on vacation. Leno may have been an easy-to-swallow replacement for Carson, but critics have long seen his comedy as toothless and uninspired. But really, it seems like NBC is never truly happy with whoever is in the big chair since Carson's exit, kicking out Leno, plugging in Conan O'Brien, bringing back Leno, and most recently kicking him out again for Jimmy Fallon. Given that Rivers is (and was) a known quantity, she might have been able to dig in her heels and build an audience on FOX, giving the fourth network its own product to push in the late night space. Instead, most FOX affiliates ended up running Hall's show, which had a unique voice of its own -- just not a female one.

Read more at http://www.hitfix.com/starr-raving/what-if-joan-rivers-hadnt-been-fired-from-her-fox-talk-show#QHA46VZb87VlF5IL.99

When Edgar killed himself, that pretty much killed the show.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/09/05/joan-rivers-s-trailblazing-troubled-and-complicated-role-in-late-night-tv.html

"Can you be a trailblazer (http://time.com/3267709/joan-rivers-dead-feminism-comedy/) when no one has followed your trail?” asks Kevin Fallon. "Joan Rivers didn’t so much as pave the path (http://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/tv/z-on-tv-blog/bal-remembering-the-joan-rivers-who-20140904,0,4068473.story) to becoming the first woman in late-night TV (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/joan-rivers-honored-by-david-730369?) so much as she bushwhacked it. And since her tumultuous navigation (http://variety.com/2014/film/news/chris-rocks-tribute-to-joan-rivers-we-liked-johnny-carson-but-we-loved-her-1201298679/) to that landmark distinction, that path has famously been all-but closed, with no other woman hosting a nightly talk show on a broadcast network (http://franklinavenue.blogspot.com/2014/09/throwback-thursday-rip-joan-rivers.html) since.”

—Joan Rivers vs. Johnny Carson feud: Who was right? (http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/tv/tv-zone-1.811968/joan-rivers-johnny-carson-feud-who-was-right-1.9233874)

—The story behind Joan’s 3-decade “Tonight Show” ban (http://arts.nationalpost.com/2014/09/04/small-talk-the-story-behind-joan-rivers-three-decade-tonight-show-ban-lifted-this-year-by-jimmy-fallon/), which Jimmy Fallon lifted earlier this year (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srtES-HebG0)

—After the Johnny Carson mess (http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2014/09/04/joan_rivers_has_died_her_later_career_revealed_many_things_about_show_business.html), Rivers’ work (http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/tv/loving-joan-rivers-meant-never-having-to-say-youre-sorry/2014/09/04/b3503870-3466-11e4-9e92-0899b306bbea_story.html) "became meaner (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/joan-rivers-dead-her-memorable-730363), leaner (http://never-stop-working.html/?ref=arts), and, strangely, more soulful than ever before”

—Rivers wrote about her Carson breakup (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/joan-rivers-why-johnny-carson-398088) in 2012

—Joan Rivers (http://www.theguardian.com/stage/2014/sep/04/joan-rivers-obituary-limelight): Hollywood’s greatest comeback story (http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2014/09/the-great-joan-rivers-comeback/379690/)?

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/09/05/joan-rivers-s-trailblazing-troubled-and-complicated-role-in-late-night-tv.html

"Can you be a trailblazer (http://time.com/3267709/joan-rivers-dead-feminism-comedy/) when no one has followed your trail?” asks Kevin Fallon. "Joan Rivers didn’t so much as pave the path (http://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/tv/z-on-tv-blog/bal-remembering-the-joan-rivers-who-20140904,0,4068473.story) to becoming the first woman in late-night TV (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/joan-rivers-honored-by-david-730369?) so much as she bushwhacked it. And since her tumultuous navigation (http://variety.com/2014/film/news/chris-rocks-tribute-to-joan-rivers-we-liked-johnny-carson-but-we-loved-her-1201298679/) to that landmark distinction, that path has famously been all-but closed, with no other woman hosting a nightly talk show on a broadcast network (http://franklinavenue.blogspot.com/2014/09/throwback-thursday-rip-joan-rivers.html) since.”

—Joan Rivers vs. Johnny Carson feud: Who was right? (http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/tv/tv-zone-1.811968/joan-rivers-johnny-carson-feud-who-was-right-1.9233874)

—The story behind Joan’s 3-decade “Tonight Show” ban (http://arts.nationalpost.com/2014/09/04/small-talk-the-story-behind-joan-rivers-three-decade-tonight-show-ban-lifted-this-year-by-jimmy-fallon/), which Jimmy Fallon lifted earlier this year (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srtES-HebG0)

—After the Johnny Carson mess (http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2014/09/04/joan_rivers_has_died_her_later_career_revealed_many_things_about_show_business.html), Rivers’ work (http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/tv/loving-joan-rivers-meant-never-having-to-say-youre-sorry/2014/09/04/b3503870-3466-11e4-9e92-0899b306bbea_story.html) "became meaner (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/joan-rivers-dead-her-memorable-730363), leaner (http://never-stop-working.html/?ref=arts), and, strangely, more soulful than ever before”

—Rivers wrote about her Carson breakup (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/joan-rivers-why-johnny-carson-398088) in 2012

—Joan Rivers (http://www.theguardian.com/stage/2014/sep/04/joan-rivers-obituary-limelight): Hollywood’s greatest comeback story (http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2014/09/the-great-joan-rivers-comeback/379690/)?

Some years ago, I urged the archive of television academy (via e-mail) to post the video interview they did with Joan Rivers in 2007.

It made no sense (like many of their interviews) they hold onto.

I then asked them two years later to upload the video.

They never did (no response)...

Until the day she died...

Then it went viral...

In a now publicly viewed (but no one has actually watched) interview, we get the following:

How Joan thought she failed the FOX late night show and how it died exactly.

Now remember...She was the FIRST (and only) female late night show host on network television.

It's a fascinating interview in which Rivers explains the suicidal odd-lighting/electric relationship with her deceased husband and former FOX (than FBN) chief Barry Diller.

WATCH NOW:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TP4jNbFUJn4#t=1207

Joan Rivers states (in her own words) that she was essentially fired two days before her final broadcast and was threatened by FOX from revealing her 'last' episode on the network.

She then cries and they have to stop tape...

I dont know how life would have been different for Rivers. Maybe Aresnio comes in anyway as I think and Joan's show suffers or maybe her show would have been done by then. I guess we will never know.

List Of FOX Affiliates Past & Present That Cleared "The Late Show Starring Joan Rivers" From Between October 9, 1986-May 15, 1987 (Primary Only) (https://www.radiodiscussions.com/threads/list-of-fox-affiliates-past-present-that-cleared-the-late-show-starring-joan-rivers-from-between-october-9-1986-may-15-1987-primary-only.765233/)


WNYW 5 New York City, NY
KTTV 11 Los Angeles, CA
WFLD 32 Chicago, IL
WTAF 29 Philadelphia, PA (Now WTXF)
KTVU 2 Oakland, CA
KDAF 33 Dallas, TX (Now CW O&O)
WXNE 25 Boston, MA (Now WFXT)
WTTG 5 Washington, D.C.
WATL 36 Atlanta, GA (Now MyNetworkTV Affiliate)
KRIV 26 Houston, TX
WKBD 50 Detroit, MI (Now CW Affiliate)
WTOG 44 Tampa, FL (Now CW Affiliate)
KNXV 15 Phoenix, AZ (Now ABC Affiliate)
KCPQ 13 Tacoma, WA
KMSP 9 Minneapolis, MN
WCIX 6 Miami, FL (Now WFOR, CBS O&O)
WOIO 19 Cleveland, OH (Now CBS Affiliate)
KDVR 31 Denver, CO
WOFL 35 Orlando, FL
KTXL 40 Sacramento, CA
KDNL 30 St. Louis, MO (Now ABC Affiliate)
WPGH 53 Pittsburgh, PA
KPTV 12 Portland, OR
WBFF 45 Baltimore, MD
WXIN 59 Indianapolis, IN
WCCB 18 Charlotte, NC (Now CW Affiliate)
XETV 6 San Diego, CA (Now Canal 5 Affiliate)
WTIC 61 Hartford, CT
WLFL 22 Raleigh, NC (Now CW Affiliate)
WCAY 30 Nashville, TN (Now WUXP)
KSHB 41 Kansas City, MO (Now NBC Affiliate)
WTTE 28 Columbus, OH
WXIX 19 Cincinnati, OH
WCGV 24 Milwaukee, WI (Now MyNetworkTV Affiliate)
KSTU 13 Salt Lake City, UT
WAXA 40 Asheville, NC (Now MyNetworkTV Affiliate)
KRRT 35 San Antonio, TX (Now KMYS, Dabl Affiliate)
WELK 29 West Palm Beach, FL (Now WFLX)
WXMI 17 Grand Rapids, MI
WDBB 21 Birmingham, AL (Now CW Affiliate)
WPMT 43 York, PA
WTVZ 33 Norfolk, VA (Now MyNetworkTV Affiliate)
KVVU 5 Las Vegas, NV
WMKW 30 Memphis, TN (Now WLMT, CW Affiliate)
KAUT 43 Oklahoma City, OK (Now Independent Affiliate)
KGSW 41 Albuquerque, NM (Now KTFQ, UniMas Affiliate)
WNRW 45 Greensboro, NC (Now WXLV, ABC Affiliate)
WDRB 41 Louisville, KY
WUTV 29 Buffalo, NY
WAWS 30 Jacksonville, FL (Now WFOX)
WTSG 64 Providence, RI (Now WNAC)
KBVO 42 Austin, TX (Now KEYE, CBS Affiliate)
WOLF 38 Scranton, PA (Now WSWB, CW Affiliate)
WNOL 38 New Orleans, LA (Now CW O&O)
WXXA 23 Albany, NY
KJTM 38 Little Rock, AR (Now KASN, CW O&O)
WRGT 45 Dayton, OH
WPMI 15 Mobile, AL (Now NBC Affiliate)
WETO 43 Knoxville, TN (Now WTNZ)
WRLH 35 Richmond, VA
WDKY 56 Lexington, KY
WFTX 36 Fort Myers, FL
WVAH 11 Charleston, WV
WSMH 66 Flint, MI
KSAS 24 Wichita, KS
WJPR 21 Roanoke, VA (Now WWCW, CW Affiliate)
WXGZ 32 Green Bay, WI (Now WACY, MyNetworkTV Affiliate)
KMSB 11 Tucson, AZ
WDMA 36 Toledo, OH (Now WUPW)
KHNL 13 Honolulu, HI (Now NBC Affiliate)
KDSM 17 Des Moines, IA
WPXT 51 Portland, ME (Now CW Affiliate)
KDEB 27 Springfield, MO (Now KOZL, MyNetworkTV Affiliate)
KAYU 28 Spokane, WA
WUHF 31 Rochester, NY
WKAF 68 Syracuse, NY
KMSS 33 Shreveport, LA
WRSP 55 Springfield, IL
WMSN 47 Madison, WI
WDSI 61 Chattanooga, TN (Now True Crime Network Affiliate)
XHRIO 2 McAllen, TX (Now Defunct)
WETC 39 Kingsport, TN (Now WEMT)
KXRM 21 Colorado Springs, CO
KLJB 18 Davenport, IA
WTGS 28 Savannah, GA)
WWCP 8 Johnstown, PA
KCIK 14 El Paso, TX (Now KFOX)
WTAT 24 Charleston, SC
WEVV 44 Evansville, IN (Now CBS Affiliate)
WFFT 55 Fort Wayne, IN
KAME 21 Reno, NV (Now MyNetworkTV Affiliate)
KTTW 7 Sioux Falls, SD (Now TCT Affiliate)
WYZZ 43 Bloomington, IL
WCOV 20 Montgomery, AL
KTRV 12 Boise, ID (Now ION Affiliate)
KVRR 15 Fargo, ND
KADN 15 Lafayette, LA
KCBA 35 Monterey, CA
KCIT 14 Amarillo, TX
WTSG 31 Albany, GA (Now WFXL)
KJTL 18 Wichita Falls, TX
KJTV 34 Lubbock, TX
KTBY 4 Anchorage, AK
WXXV 25 Biloxi, MS
WTUV 33 Utica, NY (Now WFXV)
WJKT 16 Jackson, TN
KIDY 6 San Angelo, TX


PVyECyPYwaA

One of the greatest on-air collaborations turns into (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cwXezZX71A) a bitter feud.

2W0EVUbEtYA

We're back! And we're opening our seventh season with Fox's first show (https://www.google.com/search?q=the+late+show+with+joan+rivers+fox&oq=the+late+show+with+joan+rivers+fox&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIGCAEQRRg80gEPMTA4MTAzNDMzNmowajE1qAIAsAIA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#ip=1) (and first flop (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEdkTPyeJhg)), "The Late Show Starring Joan Rivers (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Late_Show_(1986_talk_show)#:~:text=The%20Late%20Show%20is%20an,show%20hosted%20by%20Arsenio%20Hall.)."

This edit completely removes any material which, despite qualifying for fair use, could conceivably be claimed by Carson Entertainment. This is why I don't do more videos; I spend more time fighting bad faith copyright claims than I do actually making videos.

If you want to see more videos please support me on Patreon because I will never be able to afford it if I have to rely on what the trolls allow me to collect on from YouTube.

Fair Use is the Law. Rot in Hell, Carson.

May 15, 1987 - Joan Rivers fired from 'The Late Show Starring Joan Rivers' (https://www.datalounge.com/thread/35543418-may-15-1987-joan-rivers-fired-from-the-late-show-starring-joan-rivers-)

May 15, 1987 (https://www.tvinsider.com/2617/today-in-tv-history-joan-rivers-said-goodbye-to-late-night/) - Joan Rivers fired from (https://www.upi.com/Archives/1987/05/15/Acerbic-comedian-Joan-Rivers-was-dethroned-Friday-appearing-for/5951548049600/) 'The Late Show Starring Joan Rivers' (https://fox.fandom.com/wiki/The_Late_Show)

38 years ago, rumors were swirling in the press (there was no internet) since mid-week that Joan Rivers was being fired (https://www.facebook.com/80to90/posts/onthisday-may-15-1987-last-episode-of-the-late-show-with-joan-rivers-after-the-h/838074818340128/) from her own talk show after launching (https://www.reddit.com/r/80s/comments/xzsy5r/on_this_day_in_1986_the_late_show_starring_joan/) on October 9, 1986. After months of soured relations between (https://www.latintimes.com/joan-rivers-death-15-unknown-facts-about-late-iconic-comedian-206758) Fox, Rivers (http://www.postmodcast.com/2014/09/joan-rivers-1933-2014.html), and her husband (https://greensboro.com/joan-rivers-relives-death-of-husband-in-tv-movie-wrenching-story/article_97c7e20c-cb25-5444-ade1-8460c079dd33.html) / producer Edgar Rosenberg (https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1987/08/15/edgar-rosenberg-62-dies/003e4f00-f348-4c16-bf9b-c41635d35ed6/), plus falling ratings (https://www.orlandosentinel.com/1994/04/01/joan-and-melissa-rivers-tell-wrenching-story-for-tv-movie/) since its premiere. The official announcement came overnight, in the early morning (https://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/did-joan-rivers-rise-to-success-get-her-blacklisted-by-johnny-carson/18394/) of Friday (https://komonews.com/news/entertainment/for-joan-rivers-victory-from-loss-in-late-night-11-21-2015?photo=2), May 15, 1987.

It was on the morning news shows as well as the evening news and newspapers (https://www.nytimes.com/1987/05/16/arts/joan-rivers-leaving-as-host-of-talk-show-officials-say.html). Rivers was fired from her own show (https://deadshirt.net/2014/05/02/talk-show-graveyard-the-late-show-starring-joan-rivers/). In her opening monologue that night (https://nowherebutpop.wordpress.com/2013/11/27/rivers-rock-and-the-final-episode-of-joan-rivers-late-show/), the audience greeted her with a standing ovation, which brought tears to Rivers' eyes. (Cher, Elton John, and Pee Wee Herman - the three guests she had on for her premiere show - were the same three guests she had on for her final show.) She acknowledged she worked for FOX (https://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/tv-news/joan-rivers-johnny-carson-233321397.html), and it was 'their ballgame - their bat, their ball' so they called the shots. In her closing of the show, she promised her audiences, "I'll be back a lot sooner than you all may think!" It took her 18 months to come back on television, with the daytime syndicated talk show 'The Joan Rivers Show' for which she won a Daytime Emmy.

Joan Rivers talk show premiered October 9, 1986 (https://www.datalounge.com/thread/35949228-joan-rivers-talk-show-premiered-october-9-1986)

On the brand-new (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJ_NX6HjSSU) FOX network (https://www.google.com/search?q=Fox+Broadcasting+Company&sca_esv=44ea4fb9ad3aef3e&udm=36&sxsrf=AE3TifPohAkysGTnTJbWfNfRk_I_BnrLGQ%3A1760054417496&source=lnt&tbs=bkt%3As%2Ccdr%3A1%2Ccd_min%3A1%2F1%2F1986%2Ccd_max%3A12%2F31%2F1986&tbm=) with a lot of controversy and buzz.

Her guests were Elton John, Pee Wee Herman, and Cher (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqAIx0osU6Q&pp=ygUbT2N0b2JlciA5LCAxOTg2IEpvaG4gUml2ZXJz).

It didn't last long, but the blacklisting by The Tonight Show lasted until she almost passed.

ZB1AyoPE07Y

Taken from The Late Show with Joan Rivers (https://www.google.com/search?q=The+Late+Show+Starring+Joan+Rivers&sca_esv=44ea4fb9ad3aef3e&udm=36&sxsrf=AE3TifOkz_ZgZsiCSsZvXFarP3zYc5sD9w%3A1760054309234&source=lnt&tbs=bkt%3As%2Ccdr%3A1%2Ccd_min%3A1%2F1%2F1986%2Ccd_max%3A12%2F31%2F1986&tbm=) until 1987 (https://www.google.com/search?q=The+Late+Show+Starring+Joan+Rivers&sca_esv=44ea4fb9ad3aef3e&udm=36&sxsrf=AE3TifOkz_ZgZsiCSsZvXFarP3zYc5sD9w%3A1760054309234&source=lnt&tbs=bkt%3As%2Ccdr%3A1%2Ccd_min%3A1%2F1%2F1987%2Ccd_max%3A12%2F31%2F1987&tbm=).