Melissa says that 'it would have been nice' if her mother had been included in Oscars 'In Memoriam' segment.
- Feb 24, 2015
AceShowbiz - Melissa Rivers has broken her silence on the omission of her mother Joan Rivers from Oscars "In Memoriam" segment. In a statement posted on Joan's Facebook account on Monday night, February 23, Melissa said that "it would have been nice" if her mother had been included in "In Memoriam" segment.
The statement read, "The response from Melissa Rivers regarding the omission of her mom from the Oscars 'In Memoriam' tribute: 'It would have been nice, especially considering the impact she had on the awards season, but Cooper and I have been overwhelmed with support and love over my mom's passing and we choose to focus on that.' "
Earlier in the day, the Academy addressed the omission of Joan from "In Memoriam" segment after receiving backlash from fans. "Joan Rivers is among the many worthy artists and filmmakers we were unfortunately unable to feature in the In Memoriam segment of this year's Oscar show," a representative for the Academy Awards explains in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. "She is, however, included in our In Memoriam gallery on Oscar.com."
Besides Joan, other celebrities left out of the "In Memoriam" segment during the Oscars included Broadway star Elaine Stritch, actors Richard Kiel, Gottfried John, Taylor Negron and director George Sluizer.
While the Oscars excluded Joan, Melissa paid tribute to her mother with a moving and emotional video during E!'s Oscars pre-show "LRC Countdown Show!". Melissa said in the video, "It's hard to believe it was twenty years ago that my mother and I stood on this very red carpet for the first time. My mom asked questions that nobody else dared to ask."
