Joan Rivers: How The CJN scooped Hollywood

Joan Rivers at a Jewish Federation of Ottawa event in 2011, three years after her performance at Just For Laughs in Montreal. PETER WAISER PHOTO

On July 10, 2008, The CJN became TMZ North. We’ll explain.

Tributes have been pouring in for the legendary comedian Joan Rivers. 

In advance of her performance at Just For Laughs in 2008, we had the honour to interview her for the paper. 

As guys who grew up loving comedians (and Paul being a comedian/comedy producer), we were thrilled at the opportunity, but nervous about speaking with an industry game changer. We waited for the minutes to wind down, as it got closer to when the phone would ring. Would she be warm? Kind? Nice? Make fun of us? 

The call went through. From her New York apartment, Rivers immediately asked, “So what do you want to know?”

She was energetic, warm and friendly. We chit-chatted about life, being Jewish, her brilliant career and comedy. For someone who had accomplished so much, we detected no ego. 

No offence to our fellow readers, but The CJN is not 60 Minutes, and the paper was being represented by us two schlubs, yet we were treated like big-deal reporters. 

The former late-night talk show host told us she doesn’t tune into the various late night offerings, saying, “Those shows have become so commercial. I have yet to see someone come out that isn’t pushing something. Wouldn’t it be nice if someone came on for no reason other than just wanting to be there?”

Rivers thought about her answers, was charming, funny, real and everything you would hope one of the great comedy legends of all time would be like.

Halfway through the interview, one of our most classic media stories got hatched. Nonchalantly, Joan answered a question by saying, “I’m doing a TV pilot, was offered another game show and will be on Celebrity Apprentice.” She admitted she had never seen Donald Trump’s NBC reality TV show, but said, “They are going to send me tapes.”

So, what’s the big deal? NBC had not yet released the news. No media outlet on the planet knew Rivers would be appearing on Celebrity Apprentice, one of the top reality shows at the time. Rivers leaked the story to two Jewish dudes in the burbs of Ottawa.

Truth was, we didn’t realize it was being leaked. But soon, the knishes started to hit the fan! 

Upon the article’s release, all the major media outlets were talking about Rivers being on Celebrity Apprentice – and they said they got the story from us.

The New York Post wrote, “Rivers, 75, unwittingly broke the news yesterday in The Canadian Jewish News, which was interviewing her about her visit to Montreal for the upcoming Just For Laughs Comedy Festival.”

The Huffington Post wrote, “Joan Rivers will be a contestant on the next season of Celebrity Apprentice, she told Ron Pascoe and Paul Telner for The Canadian Jewish News this week.” Byron’s name is always spelled wrong. The CJN even got it wrong when the original Joan piece got printed! 

So, two little pishers turned The CJN into TMZ! We were proud. We went out to celebrate our newfound careers in sleazy tabloid journalism! Move over Harvey Levin, the new kings of media were ready to take over.

As we laughed and shared a banana split, Byron’s BlackBerry started going off. We thought it was likely his mother wondering if he was out with a nice Jewish girl or generally wondering what he was doing with his life (don’t worry, he’s now a married lawyer with a kid). 

But it wasn’t Byron’s mother. The NBC publicity machine was furious that we had spilled the beans. 

Major NBC execs were reading The CJN. They demanded answers. Their million-dollar publicity campaign was punctured.

It may have been a coincidence, but Rivers’ publicist started denying Just For Laughs-related publicity requests.

It says a lot about Rivers that she didn’t care about what she was supposed to keep hush-hush about. She played by her own rules. 

While she was fearless, brash and bold, there was a warmth to her that made it seem like she was your hilarious relative at a Rosh Hashanah dinner. 

When we heard that she had passed away, we felt saddened by the news and knew she would have told us, “Don’t you guys wish The Canadian Jewish News broke the news of my passing before NBC?”

Joan died too soon. At 81, she was still a stand-up road warrior. She helped build E! into the network it is today, and she was why people still tuned into award shows. 

People get excited when comedians say inappropriate things online – a place where anyone can say anything with minimal censorship. Rivers was doing that years ago, on network television no less. She paved the way for Chelsea Handler, Sarah Silverman, Kathy Griffin and many more, but she had a profound impact on male comedians too, including Howard Stern, who gave a eulogy at her funeral.

On behalf of The CJN’s readers, we only shared 25 minutes with Joan, but she made a lasting impression that we, and NBC, will never forget. 

The interview in 2008 followed the recent passing of Joan’s friend George Carlin. She told us, “I knew George, and he had a great life. A star for 40 to 50 years. He worked the week before died. How nice not to be forgotten, to die with your boots on? I think that’s exactly how he wanted it. He left a great legacy for being a respected comedian among his peers.” 

Joan has, too.