Joan Rivers' first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show was the result of a name mix up

Sullivan may have said the wrong name at the time, but it certainly worked out for him and Rivers.

The Everett Collection / The Associated Press

For five decades, and at the top of her game in the Sixties, Seventies and Eighties, Joan Rivers delivered her unfiltered and unforgiving comedy to millions of people. From a stand-up comedienne in the Borscht Belt of upstate New York, to a solidified name on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and The Ed Sullivan Show, Rivers' career skyrocketed, thanks in large part to those opportunities. 

Her first appearance on The Tonight Show in the early Sixties with then-host Jack Paar, wasn't the success Rivers had hoped for, and it's documented her first appearance was actually a setback in her career. That changed after Johnny Carson, long deemed her mentor, took over the show. 

Rivers certianly made a name for herself sitting next to Carson, as she would appear with him on the show nearly 100 times, and was even named the permanent guest host. 

Though Rivers' life and comedic career undoubtedly changed after appearing on Carson's show, that wasn't the only primetime program that helped launch her career. Rivers was considered a mainstay on The Ed Sullivan Show as well, making 21 appearances from her first in 1966, until the show's end in 1971. 

The same Ed Sullivan Show that famously introduced America to The Beatles and Elvis Presley, introduced Joan Rivers, by mistake. 

Before becoming a fashion critic, host of her own talk show and covering the red carpet, Rivers was a writer on The Ed Sullivan Show, writing sketches for the popular Italian mouse puppet, Topo Gigio. She landed her first appearance thanks to a similarly named guest that was scheduled to join Sullivan. 

When teasing an upcoming guest, that was supposed to be singer Johnny Rivers, Sullivan said, ''next week, Joan Rivers!'' according to the Ed Sullivan website.

Thanks to the slip-up, Joan Rivers was immediately booked for next week's show, making her debut on May 22, 1966. 

Though she was already making a name for herself on The Tonight Show, Rivers said on a 2012 episode of The Howard Stern Show that Sullivan gave her a chance to reach the entire country, not just the East Coast and West Coast hot spots. 

''Carson gave you New York, LA, the big cities. Ed Sullivan gave you America. He put his arm around you... The midwest said 'welcome,''' Rivers said.

Sullivan introduced Rivers that night by saying, ''I was watching The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson the other night and Joan Rivers came up, she was hilarious! So here is Joan Rivers! You'll love her.'' 

People did, too. She went on to host her own show with Fox TV called The Late Show Starring Joan Rivers, which was in the same timeslot as Johnny Carson's show, a big reason for the falling out between the two.

Rivers followed that up with The Joan Rivers Show in 1989 before fashion took over, hosting E!'s Live from the Red Carpet and Fashion Police. 

Though Rivers was undeniably going to make her mark on the world, a flub from one of America's top entertainment hosts certainly helped launch her career into what it was. 



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24 Comments

Susanlouie 21 months ago
I thought u could watch metv on this app?
CrumblyCrunchies 21 months ago
Wish we could see Ed Sullivan here in the Omaha area. What a gip.
Graychet 21 months ago
When will DIRECTV get METV?????
WordsmithWorks 21 months ago
"Thanks to the slip-up, Joan Rivers was immediately booked for next week's show." Tough luck for Johnny Rivers.
Andybandit 21 months ago
Joan Rivers was a funny lady. Her daughter Melissa looks just like her.
justjeff 21 months ago
I *used* to like Joan Rivers when she was simply a stand-up comic. When she turned to harsh insult humor, then couldn't handle it when the tables were turned on her, that was a turn-off to me and I avoided her at all costs.

I know there's probably many Joan Rivers fans on this site - and to each their own... but I grew to strongly dislike her...
dewayne6365 justjeff 21 months ago
Never did like her for the same reason. She could dish out meanness but couldn’t take it when the tables were turned.
Zip justjeff 21 months ago
I loved Joan Rivers' comedy and when she would guest host on The Tonight Show. i thought she was hilarious.
Then much later on she started doing all that fashion garbage and she just wasn't funny anymore. I think all of that plastic surgery did something to her brain or something.
cperrynaples 21 months ago
You didn't really answer the question! What happened was that Ed was supposed to say Joanie Summers but it came out "Joanie Rivers"! Ed's vocal flubs are legendary!
MrsPhilHarris cperrynaples 21 months ago
They said it was supposed to be Johnny Rivers.
LoveMETV22 MrsPhilHarris 21 months ago
I like when they include links in their stories, like this story's link to the Ed Sullivan Page.
Sometimes they will include a link to a newspaper clipping, which is good if it doesn't have a nag screen asking you to subscribe.
cperrynaples MrsPhilHarris 21 months ago
When Joan told the story, it was Joanie Summers!
MrsPhilHarris cperrynaples 21 months ago
I looked up the show and there was already several singers on the show such as Nancy Sinatra, Maria Cole and others. No mention of plate spinners or Topo Gigio. Odd they would just dump someone.
MrsPhilHarris LoveMETV22 21 months ago
Me too! Some of those links have been really interesting or fun.
Runeshaper 21 months ago
That's funny LOL

Topo Gigio! (-:
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I’ve heard he is not but I don’t believe it. 😉
LoveMETV22 MrsPhilHarris 21 months ago
Ditto. Loved Topo Gigio! 🥰 too.
Coldnorth LoveMETV22 21 months ago
“Eddie kiss me goodnite”
Patrick Runeshaper 21 months ago
I loved Topo Gigio as a kid and back then he really looked real--on an old B&W CRT TV getting the signal with "rabbit ears" he looked like he was alive. It wasn't until years later watching some of Ed's shows on DVDs / HD that it became obvious that there was a person dressed from head to toe in black behind him that was working him.
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