Joan Rivers, the legendary comedienne known for her sharp wit and fearless humor, left behind an impressive legacy of over 70,000 original jokes. These jokes, which span decades of her career, are stored in a meticulously organized archive that offers a rare look into the mind of one of comedy’s greatest trailblazers. Rivers kept her vast collection in several file cabinets, each filled with index cards detailing jokes on various topics—from aging to celebrity jabs—meticulously categorized for easy reference.
This extraordinary collection is now part of the National Comedy Center in Jamestown, New York, where it will serve as a valuable resource for both academic study and entertainment enthusiasts. The move of Rivers’ extensive archive to the center is a fitting tribute to her contribution to comedy, an art form she helped redefine.
Ahead of the NBC special Joan Rivers: A Dead Funny All-Star Tribute, Rivers’ daughter, Melissa, shared insights into her mother’s iconic collection during an appearance on TODAY. While discussing the tribute, which celebrates Joan Rivers’ lasting impact on comedy, Melissa revealed the staggering size of the archive. “I think it’s 72,000 jokes,” she confirmed when asked by co-anchor Dylan Dreyer about the number of jokes in the collection.
Despite the massive volume of material, Melissa admitted she hasn’t read every single joke, humorously noting, “I don’t hate myself.” However, the collection’s relocation to the National Comedy Center has been an exciting development for the Rivers family, with Melissa calling the move “bizarre” yet fitting.
Rivers’ legacy is also celebrated in the NBC special, where a star-studded lineup of comedians pays tribute to the woman who changed the face of comedy. As Al Roker pointed out, Rivers’ influence remains a “cultural touchstone” in the entertainment industry.
In a memorable moment on The Tonight Show, Jimmy Fallon shared that he has one of Rivers’ original joke cards framed in his dressing room. The joke, which Rivers’ daughter had no idea existed, reads: “Wouldn’t it be a major letdown to find out Tony Danza is Irish?” Fallon proudly displayed the joke, saying it’s something he looks at every day.
The National Comedy Center’s website offers a glimpse into the contents of Rivers’ joke archive, which covers an astonishing range of topics. Among the categories are “Parents Hated Me (see: NOT WANTED),” “STEWARDESSES,” and “28 AND SINGLE (see: WEDDINGS).” In one well-known bit from an Ed Sullivan show, Rivers humorously remarked, “If the Lord wanted me to cook, I’d have aluminum hands. These hands were meant to hold charge cards.”
For those unable to visit the National Comedy Center in person, Joan Rivers: A Dead Funny All-Star Tribute offers a chance to experience some of the best-loved jokes from her archive. The special airs on NBC on May 13 at 10 p.m. ET/PT and will be available for streaming on Peacock the following day.
“This tribute is everything my mother would have wanted—hilarious, unfiltered, and filled with people she respected (and roasted),” Melissa Rivers said of the special. “She was still the funniest person in the room.” The tribute, which includes appearances from a range of iconic comedians, underscores Rivers’ significant role in breaking barriers for women in comedy and celebrates how far the industry has come.
As Rivers’ legacy lives on through her collection of jokes, her spirit continues to bring laughter to generations of fans and comedians alike.
