Joan Rivers Fires Back At “Hurtful” Guild Slam Over ‘Fashion Police’ Strike

Joan Rivers Fires Back At “Hurtful” Guild Slam Over ‘Fashion Police’ Strike

She may have called striking Fashion Police scribes “schmuck writers” and “idiots”, and was slammed earlier this week by the WGA East, but a “stunned” Joan Rivers today says she is “supportive of the striking writers” (read the full statement below). The comedian also says she “just learned that E! and the WGA a re having an election” on the over 6-month labor action and hopes the FP writers will soon be covered by a WGA contract. Here’s her statement:

I am stunned by the WGAE’s recent personal attacks and allegations that I breached the Settlement Agreement in connection with the WGAE Charges. I am supportive of the striking writers. I am hopeful that the writers will soon be covered by a WGA Contract as I have just learned that E! and the WGA are having an election in early December. As a long standing member of the WGAE, I am greatly confused and disturbed by Mr. Winship’s unprofessional and hurtful statements about my character – It is time for the focus to be on getting the writers a contract, not using me as a scapegoat.

According to Ms. Rivers’ counsel at the law firm of Loeb & Loeb, “Joan Rivers has fully complied with the terms of the Settlement Agreement. The statements that Mr. Winship attributes to Ms. Rivers do not violate the Settlement Agreement.”

The seemingly about-face remarks come a day after WGAE president Michael Winship called her out for “reprehensible” comments about the FP writers in an online interview last week. “We are exploring all options,” Winship added Thursday about possible repercussions. In early October it looked like Rivers and the WGA East had reached an agreement over her role in the FP strike. The WGA East cancelled an October 14 disciplinary hearing in NYC to determine whether the E! host and longtime guild member had violated the union’s rules by writing and performing showrunner duties for the show during the strike. Before today, Rivers last set of comments seemed to leave that resolution in tatters. What will the WGA East say now?

Deadline.com