Rivers Bad Whitney Joke; Comedienne Mocks Another Dead Celebrity
Joan Rivers has come under fire for a joke that she made about Whitney Houston in her new book "I Hate Everyone... Starting With Me," just three months after the late singer's untimely death.
"I hate Houston. It's crawling with bugs. Oh, wait, that's Whitney Houston; I'm sorry, my bad. (Can I just mention that Whitney looked fabulous at the Grammys? She was in mahogany from head to toe.)" Rivers writes in the book.
Houston died of accidental drowning in her Beverly Hills hotel room on Feb. 11 at the age of 48 and a number of fans are outraged blasting Rivers' joke as "Tasteless."
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Rivers, who hosts the E! network's "Fashion Police," appeared to be regretful when the E! network pulled an episode of her show which aired just days before Houston's death because it featured jokes which mocked the late singer.
"When she's alive, she's fair game. It's part of being a celebrity. Am I sorry she died? Of course I am, for God's sake. But when she was alive we would talk about her just as we would talk about Anna Wintour or Angelina Jolie. If Angelina Jolie died tomorrow, I would still say she was anorexic," Rivers told Women's Wear Daily.
This is not the first time that the 78-year-old comedienne has made offensive jokes about a dead celebrity.
In 2009 Rivers asked a Paparazzi cameraman whether it was true that Jackson had died, and when the person responded by saying "Yes, unfortunately," she took a dig at the late singer's child molestation cases.
"Well, that's good I can let my grandson take a walk alone," Rivers shot back as she walked away.
It appears even the First Lady is not exempt from Rivers' bizarre humor.
In 2011 she mocked Michelle Obama in a joke that led to accusations of racism.
"We used to have Jackie O. Now we have Blackie O!" Rivers told Howard Stern.
