It’s a pretty well-accepted fact that nobody does mean like Joan Rivers. Some of us love to love the E! queen of Fashion Police, but if you take her too seriously, you’re in for a world of hurt. Like many of us, Joan recently watched (or at least heard about) Rihanna‘s interview with Oprah. Hearing Rihanna admit that she still loves Chris Brown was definitely a big deal and Joan Rivers took to Twitter and, well, kind of roasted RiRi. Peep the tweets (including Rihanna‘s response) and tell me what you think. Was Joan being Joan, or did she go too far?
Okay, so here’s how it all got started:
Rihanna confessed to Oprah Winfrey that she still loves Chris Brown. Idiot! Now it’s MY turn to slap her.
— Joan Rivers (@Joan_Rivers) August 24, 2012
Now, Rihanna ended up deleting this tweet, but originally she replied with, “@Joan_Rivers wow u really do get slow when you’re old huh?”
After taking that one down, she tweeted this reponse:
Slap on some diapers
— Rihanna (@rihanna) August 24, 2012
To which Joan replied:
Honey,
@rihanna, everyone knows: If he hit you once, he’ll hit you again. Read the statistics. PS – Love to have you on Fashion Police!— Joan Rivers (@Joan_Rivers) August 24, 2012
LMAO. Joan Rivers is not of this world. Still, the #RihannaNavy was in full effect and waged an all-out [Twitter] war on Joan. They felt like her tweets were a personal attack on their beloved pop star, which I totally get. But personally, I think Joan was pretty much being Joan in the first tweet, and then took a slightly more somber (but still, humorous) approach the second time around. Based on the Fashion Police invite, I’m sure she lurves Rihanna, but was also shocked to hear Chris Brown‘s name come out of her mouth so amorously. And that, I totally understand.
This kind of reminds me of when Daniel Tosh made that rape joke and we were all debating about whether or not he was within his rights as a comedian (and as an insult comic), or if he had crossed a line.
What do you guys think about Joan‘s tweets? Fair game or bad taste?
Well I think she’s correct anyway… I know Rihanna is just a person, even if you SHOULDN’T love someone because they’re abusive you still may. BUT Joan’s correct, he’s not really going to change – - he hasn’t shown much restraint with his anger since. And I think she was just being “Joan” in the first tweet.
melissa, I think that’s why people get so upset about this: “he hasn’t shown much restraint with his anger since.” Exactly. It makes it even harder to understand why Rihanna feels how she feels. But as you say, it’s possible to love someone although they were abusive, which is really tragic… and scary. Thanks for weighing in here.
I’m on Team Joan for this one. 1) If Rihanna doesn’t want the world chiming in about her relationship/feelings for Chris Brown, then she probably shouldn’t have done an exclusive interview with Oprah and shared everything with the public. When you make information public, then be prepared for people to have opinions and make them known. Not to mention, Rihanna likely made a pretty penny off of that interview. How nice to cry on Oprah’s sofa and get paid to do it. 2) Joan is 100% correct on abusive relationships. Someone who hits you once will most certainly do it again, if not to you, to someone else. I have a lot of sympathy for Rihanna and I hope she is able to mature a bit more and rid herself of dead weight men in her life.
@Jen — “If Rihanna doesn’t want the world chiming in about her relationship/feelings for Chris Brown, then she probably shouldn’t have done an exclusive interview with Oprah and shared everything with the public”
I tend to agree with this.
(Point aside: This is why Kristen Stewart should never ever talk about her whatever thingy with Rupert Saunders. The public apology was crazy enough.)
Jen, you make some good points. I loved the interview she did with Oprah, but as you say, she put herself out there publicly. And, considering how much she shared, the public was def gonna have plenty to say.
You said it perfectly Jen. I have to go with Joan on this one.
I think Joan was just being Joan and I don’t think what she said was making light of a serious situation. My thought when I heard about this interview was I wish someone would shake some sense into her! I mean I seriously do not listen to any of Chris Brown’s music since this incident. However that is the difference between a bystander and the victim, I can’t forgive him and she still loves him. i don’t know if she got help after the incident but I think she should.
I can’t help it, I love Joan. As usual, I think she made real points that were wrapped in possibly-offensive humor…and I think Rhianna’s responses were pretty weak! Rhianna can knock Joan because she is old, but she can’t dispute the point Joan was making!
That being said, I don’t think I would ever publicly shame a victim of abuse because of the way they are handling their situation. The only thing that will really help her is if people she knows, trusts, and respects give her a serious chat about seeking professional guidance.
Team Joan. What kind of message is Rhianna sending to young girls and women about abusive relationships?
I don’t think that this is a fair statement. Abuse is insidious. People who are on the outside can wonder why on earth the victim puts up with it. The victim, meanwhile, has had her confidence gradually chipped away until she’s usually in a state of thinking she must have done something to deserve it.
I have a friend who left an abusive relationship and she once said that of course she would have left him if he’d punched her on the first date, or even in the first month. Instead, he spent months planting seeds of doubt in her – little things that most people wouldn’t even notice – and gradually having those snowball into control and physical abuse.
I used to think that Joan had a sharp wit but lately I feel like she’s making an extra effort to be as nasty as possible.
That wasn’t even Joan being mean. Look at some of the stuff she says. I think that was Joan making a joke out of being kind of worried for Rihanna. The slap on some diapers tweet was hilarious though!
It took me almost 4 years to leave my asshole of a boyfriend who treated me like complete shit. It’s sad because I had every opportunity to leave him but willingly moved to New York and then to Los Angeles with him. It took me a LONG time to figure it out. I am SO MUCH HAPPIER now and I get so angry at myself for the time I wasted with him putting up with his manipulative bullshit…
It is so true that if they do it once, they will do it again.
I gave up trying to understand Rihanna a long, long time ago. I don’t think she thinks she needs help when she tweets things like “Funny you’re the broken one but I’m the only one who needed saving”. I think she rationalizes her feelings as normal. Being from the Caribbean myself, I have also wondered how much of it comes from her upbringing. Either way, I’m so done with these two.
To be honest.. I’m tired of seeing Rihanna cry over this boy.. Yes, she can’t stop loving him, but it happens all the time around the world.. Just pleas girl.. stop cry in front of the world, and race contact with him if you’re that in love..
By all accounts, Rihanna and Chris are not back together and he has a girlfriend that follows him EVERYWHERE. Soooo I can’t help but think that Joan’s ire would be better sent at that Karrr????Kaka??? Kookaracha…whatever her name is. Of course commenting on why his ACTUAL GIRLFRIEND IS WITH A GUY WHO BEAT THE CRAP OUT OF ANOTHER WOMAN, would not get the old bat any headlines…
I have no problem with with Rihanna admitting she still loves Chris as long as she does not get into a love thing with him again.
I don’t feel he needs to apologize aoymnre than he already has. Besides he has taken responsibility for his part he played in it, why hasn’t she. This did not occur because he just decided to beat her up. She instigated the fight, and he defended himself, as think he should have. And if women were really honest with themselves, as I am I readily admit to starting quite a few fights with my man. Some women like it like that, and I think Rihanna is one of them!