Twenty-eight years after she was famously handed a perma-ban from The Tonight Show by Johnny Carson — and, by extension, from NBC — Joan Rivers made her triumphant return to the same show and studio where she launched her half-century-long career. Rivers had made a brief appearance on the final episode of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, but Thursday night marked her first night sitting in the chair as a segment guest — this time with new host Jimmy Fallon. And she didn’t miss a beat.
For those only familiar with her through various E! shows and appearances, this was old school Rivers, starting off with a solid…you know what? Just watch the whole thing, because it’s that damn funny. She even managed to get ol’ grumpy pants Russell Crowe to laugh. However, it wouldn’t be a Rivers Tonight Show appearance without out a classic joke from the Carson days, which she delivered on by asking the audience to check up on how she’s, um, doing “down there”.
