Melissa Rivers finds being snubbed by the producers of ‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’ "hurtful".
The 52-year-old star is aware her late mother, comedy legend Joan Rivers, was one of the inspirations for the Amazon series – which stars Rachel Brosnahan in the title role – and thinks it’s a shame she has "never heard a single word" from anyone involved in making the show.
Speaking on the ‘Hollywood Raw’ podcast, she told hosts Dax Holt and Adam Glyn: "I’ve never watched the show, and there’s a particular reason … I know it’s based on my mom and Phyllis Diller, a lot of these different women.
"It was still so soon after my mom’s death and so raw to me. I would have loved more than anything an e-mail just saying, ‘Hey, your mom was one of the inspirations for this. We hope you love watching the show.’
"I guess ‘hurtful’ is the word — that they never even just said [anything]."
However, she sent flowers and a thank you note to Jane Lynch following the 59-year-old star’s Emmy Award win for Guest Actress – Comedy Series for her work as comedienne Sophie Lennon on the show as the former ‘Glee’ star paid tribute to Joan in her acceptance speech.
Melissa explained: "Because she actually acknowledged my mom."
In her speech, Jane dedicated her win to 1960s comics such as Joan, Totie Fields and Phyllis Diller, hailing them as "those gals who blazed a trail."
She added: "You had to make fun of your looks or you couldn’t keep a man."