Joan Rivers Snubbed: Oscars 'In Memoriam' Tribute Cuts Late Comedian

Photo of oscar.go.com web site In Memoriam gallery presents Joan Rivers.

By    |   Monday, 23 February 2015 01:24 PM EST ET

Joan Rivers was snubbed by the Academy Awards' annual "In Memoriam" tribute video, and fans are not pleased.

TMZ reported that Rivers' daughter, Melissa, was among those offended that her mother was not included in the four-minute segment that paid tribute to those who died this year, including actor Robin Williams, actress Lauren Bacall, and director Mike Nichols.

While Rivers was primarily a comedian and TV personality, she did appear in many movies, including "Muppets Take Manhattan," "Serial Mom," "Iron Man 3," "Spaceballs," "The Smurfs," and her own documentary, "Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work." Moreover, she is widely credited with boosting the Oscars' red carpet pre-show with her E! show "Fashion Police."

After an outcry on Twitter, the Academy released a statement of explanation just hours after the show ended.

"Joan Rivers is among the many worthy artists and filmmakers we were unfortunately unable to feature in the In Memoriam segment of this year's Oscar show. She is, however, included in our In Memoriam gallery on Oscar.com."

The website features some 120 film-industry personalities, only a few of which make the cut for the video.

"You make more people disappointed or angry than you make happy," the Academy’s former executive director Bruce Davis explained to The Washington Post in 2011.

"You’re leaving on the floor whole remarkable careers," he said, referring to cutting the annual tribute video. 

© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.


TheWire
Joan Rivers was snubbed by the Academy Awards' annual "In Memoriam" tribute video, and fans are not pleased.
joan rivers, snubbed, oscars, in memoriam
228
2015-24-23
Monday, 23 February 2015 01:24 PM
Newsmax Media, Inc.

View on Newsmax