A Look At The One-Sided Feud Between Joan Rivers And Michelle Obama

Before her death in 2014, at the age of 81, comedian and television host Joan Rivers was well-known for her abrasive brand of humor. She gained notoriety for starting one of the most widespread rumors about the Obama family, claiming to a street reporter that the White House had LGBTQ+ leadership. According to Rivers, Michelle Obama is transgender, and Barack Obama is secretly gay. The "Fashion Police" host passed away just two months later, and the unfortunate timing of her death gave rise to another conspiracy theory that she was killed for revealing the "truth" about the Obamas (in reality, Rivers died due to complications from a vocal cord surgery). 

Politifact dismissed the outlandish claim, pointing to a lawsuit filed by Joan's daughter, Melissa Rivers, against the doctors and clinic that operated on her mother for alleged malpractice. Moreover, taking a look at Rivers' history, this was far from the first time she'd publicly spoken about Michelle in an unflattering light. The "I Hate Everyone...Starting with Me" author was even publicly racist to the first lady. In 2011, Radar Online reported she'd once joked that the United States "used to have Jackie O, now we have Blackie O!" Rivers ultimately pulled the dodgy quip from her standup routine but she was more than happy to share it with shock jock Howard Stern. 

Joan Rivers was the lead host of "Fashion Police," beloved for her own unique style and no-holds-barred opinions on everyone else's. She constantly commented on the Obamas' clothes and hairdos, often criticizing Michelle's choices in particular. On the first day of Barack's presidential tenure, the comedian tweeted, "Today starts President Obama's next four years in the White House. Let's hope the same isn't true about the First Lady's new hairdo." The comedian also sent several targeted insults her way. 

While many relegated their criticisms to the most inappropriate outfits worn by Michelle Obama, Rivers often offered unflattering comments about her body too. In 2012, she spoke to Politico about Michelle's attire at the 2012 White House Correspondents' Dinner: "I thought it was a terrible choice. Very unattractive. [...] And the waist hit her wrong, I didn't think she looked good. I thought the color was not good for her."

A few months before Rivers' death, the comedian told The Sunday Times Magazine that she didn't want Michelle at her funeral because she was a "tr***y" (via The Sidney Morning Herald). It's important to note that Rivers' choice of adjective has historically been used to describe transgender people derogatorily. The TV star also banned other celebrities including Adele for being "fat" and Chelsea Handler for being a "drunk."

Although Joan Rivers consistently targeted Michelle Obama during her husband's presidency, neither the former first lady nor Barack Obama himself ever publicly responded to her. Michelle never responded to any of the attacks or even took the opportunity to shut down the wild conspiracy theories the comedian cooked up. But, following Joan's death, the Obamas proved that they knew of her feud with them and that it was totally one-sided. 

Barack not only sent a consolatory message to Melissa Rivers but chose a personal handwritten note to boot. People reported at the time that, according to Melissa, the note read in part, "Not only did she make us laugh, she made us think." It is unclear what Joan made the Obamas think about or if Michelle shared the same sentiment. However, her refusal to participate in Joan's controversial brand of comedy was a classy lesson on handling hate.