Top 10 Shadiest Joan Rivers Moments

A group of brave souls stood on the dais at a 2009 Comedy Central Roast dedicated to Joan Rivers herself. As is tradition, the guest of honor got her chance to address her roasters individually. Kathy Griffin clearly learned a lot from the comedians no-holds-barred style. For every shot she made, Rivers came back with an all-time great insult. She accused Griffin of stealing everything about her. Well, most things, anyway. Rivers insists Griffin got her distinctive visage from the Burger King mascot himself. Its proof of one thing. You could do battle with Joan Rivers, but you could never defeat her.

Few classic comedians were as well-suited to Twitters character limit as Joan Rivers. Words were rarely this lethal. Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence slammed Fashion Police, which Rivers hosted, for criticizing celebrities bodies. The co-host refused to take this lying down. She fired back in a series of tweets aimed at Lawrences hypocrisy, as the actress had been a fan when they were complimentary of her. Referring to Lawrences famous stumble on the way up to accept her Best Actress Academy Award, Rivers said she must have tripped over her own arrogance. To be fair, Lawrence made some points, but its a great comeback.

Over her several appearances on The View, Joan Rivers always had the hosts on their toes. Her takes were hot, fast, furious, and probably had the ABC censors sweating every second. Telling them how she and daughter Melissa went swimming with live sharks, she had a creative, if not so politically correct, way to keep herself from getting eaten. Rivers explains she found the meatiest swimmer in the group and stuck by her. Anything to draw some potentially hungry sharks away from her. Whoopi Goldberg and company completely lost it, knowing full well they probably shouldnt laugh.

Far be it from us to suggest Joan Rivers was being hyperbolic for the sake of a joke, but sometimes, she read as the kind of comic who painted with a broad brush. An example might be her comments about Angelina Jolie. Odds are, you dont become as successful in the industry as her without some brains. On working with Jolie, Rivers expressed some doubts as to her mental faculties. She joked that Jolie, upon seeing a wet floor sign, took it as a suggestion. Clever as it is, Rivers opinion on Jolie seemed to dull over the years. She even admired her bravery in getting a preventative double mastectomy, taking jokes about the star out of her act.

The reality star and all-around renaissance woman definitely dealt with her fair share of insults back in the 2000s. But Joan Rivers found a pretty unexpected way to comment on hotel heiress Paris Hiltons antics. During a standup special live from London, she suggested Hiltons infamous sex tape wasnt even the most disgraceful part of that scandal for her and her family. Yes, the worst part of the whole thing was using a rival hotel as the setting. That might not be entirely true, but Rivers finds a way to skewer the culture and the obnoxiously wealthy all in one incredibly vulgar, absurd joke.

For someone who could crack a joke about any lifestyle choice, someone who made her lifestyle choices an entire brand, is a prime target for a Joan Rivers skewering. Gwyneth Paltrow found herself on the other end of several of the comedians barbs. Paltrow got her digs in, too, citing Rivers as an example of why she wouldnt get plastic surgery. But Paltrows conscious uncoupling from longtime husband Chris Martin was never going to escape comment. During a guest spot on Wendy Williams show, Rivers took a shot at both Paltrows diet and her marriage with one cutting, crass remark. When you leave Wendy Williams speechless, you know youre an elite-level shade monster.

This shady moment comes with an assist from Joan Rivers daughter Melissa. The mother-daughter pair wanted to bring their family brand of wit, fashion, and philanthropy to Season 8 of The Celebrity Apprentice. When host Donald Trump fired Melissa, it became an all-out war. Poker pro Annie Duke and Playboy Bunny Brande Roderick got an earful from both on Melissas way out. Joan targeted Duke especially, going after her entire profession. Despite her vulgarity, Rivers usually presents a polished, consistent image. This is her at her most raw and angry. While shes less funny, shes just as biting.

She may be the sweetest Golden Girl, but Betty White could give it as much as she got it. Thats no more evident than her interactions with Joan Rivers. Guesting on one of Rivers many nights subbing in for Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show, the two go at it from the start, trading some of the meanest jabs with the biggest smiles. Its clear these two love and have so much respect for each other. No one else could be this nasty if they didnt really know one another. Surprisingly, Rivers is a generous host. White gets way more digs in than she does.

In a prime example of her gift for the one-liner, Joan Rivers had a whopper of a pun ready for this red carpet look. During an episode of Fashion Police covering Oscar looks, the co-hosts noted just how sheer Mila Kunis gown was for the event. In fact, it was so revealing that Rivers dropped a well-calibrated, nearly x-rated play on the actresss name. Co-host Giuliana Rancic was actually inconsolable, nearly having to excuse herself from the set. Strangely, despite the vulgarity of it, this might be one of her more good-natured jokes at a celebritys expense.

In her characteristically dishy episode of Watch What Happens Live, Joan Rivers did not disappoint. Andy Cohen asked her a leading question about which gay man she would have hooked up with if she were a gay man. And Rivers had her answer locked and loaded. Both Andy Cohen and fellow guest Rashida Jones look like theyre trying to hide their faces so no one knows theyre laughing. It also takes her a very long moment to begrudgingly modify her statement. After nearly 60 years in the business, Joan Rivers knew exactly how to toe the line between getting a laugh and getting slapped with a slander lawsuit.

Did your favorite Joan Rivers moment make the list? Tell us in the comments.