How Joan Rivers Became One of America’s Most Beloved Personalities

It wasn’t always easy for Joan Molinsky, who later became Joan Rivers. Growing up with first generation Russian Jewish parents in Brooklyn, NY, it was made clear by her parents that her aspirations should reach no further than marrying a doctor, lawyer, or accountant.

Her father was a doctor in Brooklyn who often worked for little pay. Her mom was a housewife who liked to flaunt her husband’s title and live a lifestyle far and beyond the income he made to support it. They were obsessed with the optics of affluence and made every effort to uphold this appearance to the outside world. But, within the confines of that Brooklyn home, Joan knew the reality. Her mother was always spending more money than her father brought in. Her father resented her mother for it and it ultimately created strife in their relationship. Joan stood back and watched the toil that her parents lived in throughout her childhood and unconsciously vowed to never allow herself a similar life to what her parents had created. 

Joan wasn’t always naturally funny. In fact, it was never her intention to go into comedy. Her initial dream was to become an actress after seeing the likes of Audrey Hepburn and other stars at the time where she was growing up. In her youth, she was overweight and, often, she was the butt jokes made by her peers. She was never the prettiest. Her sister was the smart one. Most would have considered average in almost every sense of the word. However, what Joan had, that many others didn’t, was perseverance and resilience. 

Throughout the early stages of her career, Joan was boo’d off stage or told by club managers that she shouldn’t come back for the second night of two night gigs. Time and time again, Joan would find herself in situations where most sane individuals would throw in the towel. And, that’s the reason we got the  Joan Rivers we did. 

Into her early 30s, Joan still hadn’t found any success in stand-up comedy. By that time, she had been performing for about 3 years but still hadn’t been able to hone in on an act that could sustain her. She was still working temp jobs and living in her parents house but, against all odds, she pursued. 

It wasn’t until her early 30s that Joan found a glimmer of success. Even then, it was not smooth sailing. Joan continued to experience setbacks, but in the face of it all, she had a dream, and she was willing to work for it. Against the concern and advice of the people that she was closest to, she continued to pursue the thing that lit her on fire. As easy as it would have been to submit to the lifestyle that her parents and everyone around her expected her to, she knew she would’ve gone to her grave with regrets more painful than the pain she endured on her way to becoming one of America’s most beloved comedians and television personalities. I think we can all learn a lesson from Joan’s path and apply the one principle that separates the names we remember from the names we don’t. 

Find something you love and chase that fucking thing til you’re dead or in jail.

Or, risk living the life you were never meant to live.