A Piece of Advice from Joan Rivers I’ve Never Forgotten

I never met her, but was fortunate enough to hear Joan Rivers speak a few years ago. At the time I knew (and respected her) for her comedic achievements and would occasionally enjoy her snarky E! fashion act while running on the treadmill, but had no particular interest or point of view. And in fact as this was not a comedy sketch, but actually a speech from a podium to a fairly large audience I had no idea what to expect.

I think by all accounts she blew us all away. This was clearly a woman who had been around the block, several of them in fact, and weathered more intense and varied life storms both professionally and personally than I or probably anyone else had given her credit for. She was in turns sassy and biting, but also poignant and reflective about mistakes made, loves lost, jobs that went sideways.

One observation in particular though has stayed with me, and proven to be a source of inspiration. During the low(est?) part of her career — post late night rise and fall — she talked about being unemployed and literally not able to find work. No matter where she turned, it seemed like she was toxic and just could not land anything in a conventional entertainment role.

And then someone from QVC called, which at the time she reminded us was this shlocky upstart TV channel for buying jewelry and other disjointed merchandise. She swallowed her pride and decided to take a chance, and the rest as you know but perhaps now fail to appreciate — was not only a successful venture but the beginning of a remarkable reinvention.

Looking back her advice based on this experience? Never give up — to be sure — but more to the point: never say NO. Don’t say no to something just because it is new, or new to you, or even appears like a step backwards or down for you, because you never know where it could take you.

So RIP indeed Joan Rivers, a woman who made mistakes along the way but demonstrated an unusual gift for bravery and renewal in light of extraordinary circumstances.

Money quote from a writer that used to work for Joan, perfectly encapsulates the spirit of my tribute above:

Joan got a lot of shit for having the nerve to say “yes” to opportunities that came her way, from cruises to lecture circuits to dinky podcasts like mine. But when the alternative is fading away, the possibility of burning out gets smaller every day you decide to participate in life instead of observing it from the sidelines.