NBC is celebrating the legendary Joan Rivers with a star-studded tribute special titled Joan Rivers: A Dead Funny All-Star Tribute, shining a spotlight on the incredible comedian who reshaped the entertainment industry with her sharp wit and fearless persona. In the heart of the celebration is her daughter, Melissa Rivers, who is ensuring her mother’s iconic legacy is honored in the most heartfelt way possible.

Melissa, who has long been a staple of the entertainment world herself, is taking the lead in commemorating Joan’s immense impact. Throughout the event, she’s rolling out the red carpet for a lineup of beloved stars who will share their personal stories and laughter in remembrance of the groundbreaking comedian. Joan, known for her unapologetic humor and her trailblazing career, continues to inspire generations of performers, and this tribute aims to capture that essence with humor, warmth, and genuine admiration.

As the tribute unfolds, fans and celebrities alike will be reminded of Joan’s lasting imprint on pop culture and how her fearless approach to comedy and life paved the way for future generations. Through Melissa’s dedication, this special promises to be a beautiful, laughter-filled celebration of one of Hollywood’s most iconic figures.

Melissa Rivers, daughter of comedian Joan Rivers and late producer Edgar Rosenberg, has spent years honoring her late mother’s legacy through her work, voice in entertainment, and now, as a producer for the upcoming NBC special. Melissa is celebrating her mother’s groundbreaking comedy career, the makings of a hysterical night as the biggest names in comedy gather to give tribute to a comedic heavyweight.

As the spotlight returns to the late comedian’s impact, Melissa’s tight-knit family is showing their support. Melissa’s son and new husband have both played major roles in championing the Rivers’ legacy.

Joan Rivers and Melissa Rivers attend the The 77th Annual Academy Awards at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, California. Photo: Steve Granitz/WireImage

Melissa Rivers’s son, Edgar Cooper Endicott, was born in 2000

Melissa has one son, Edgar “Cooper” Endicott, 24, whom she shares with her ex-husband, John Endicott, from a prior marriage. Rivers welcomed Cooper to the world in December 2000. In a January 2024 interview with People, Melissa couldn’t help but gush over the young man growing into someone she knows her mother would be proud of.

“I wish she could see or know about what a solid person he’s become and still becoming,” Melissa told People. “He’s smart, he’s funny, he’s kind. He has empathy… But I think what would make her the happiest is the fact, what is the old saying? ‘I hope you have children that turn out just like you.’ And they always mean that in the negative sense. She would be so pleased that I have had that come true.”

Melissa added that with Cooper’s wit and effortless humor, he has also taken after his side-splitting grandmother.

“He has a great sense of humor, and I think she would be so excited to see all the things I did, especially at that age, to torture her. I’m getting it back in spades,” Melissa teased. “I read somewhere once, it was like, maybe you wake up one day and realize you have children like you. Well played, karma.”

Melissa Rivers and Cooper Endicott attend Thanksgiving at Project Angel Food on November 23, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. Photo: Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images/Project Angel Food

When did Melissa Rivers and Steve Mitchel get married?

In March 2025, Melissa married attorney Steve Mitchel in a heartfelt ceremony at the Four Seasons in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, People reported. The longtime Executive Assistant to the Rivers family, Sabrina Lott Miller, officiated the ceremony attended by 150 of the couple’s loved ones. It was an expectedly star-studded affair, with several entertainment icons in attendance to see Melissa and Mitchel tie the knot.

“My vision was to have a party and have a wedding break out in the middle and go back to having a party, and we definitely nailed that,” she told Brides in a March 2025 interview.

How Melissa Rivers honored her late mother Joan at her wedding

Rivers’ presence was felt throughout the celebrations. In a heartfelt gesture to Melissa’s mother, according to People, the couple gifted guests with small golden bee pins to wear in honor of Rivers — the symbol was the comedy icon’s longtime emblem, so it made for a heartwarming nod to the guest of honor who couldn’t make it. “At every guest place setting, we set bee pins for people to wear to honor my mother,” Melissa told Brides.

“I love bees. Why? The bee’s story is one of triumph against the odds,” Rivers said in July 2014, months before her September passing. “In aerodynamic terms, bees shouldn’t be able to fly. Their bodies are too heavy, and their wings are too small. And yet they fly, achieving the impossible every day!”

Joan Rivers and daughter Melissa Rivers attend the 2014 NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment Upfronts at The Jacob K. Javits Convention Center on May 15, 2014 in New York City. Photo: D Dipasupil/FilmMagic

Melissa Rivers and Steve Mitchel’s wedding brought loved ones together following a tragedy

While Melissa and Mitchel enjoyed a stunning wedding, the big day almost didn’t happen. Just two months before their wedding day, Melissa’s home was destroyed in the Palisades Fire, leading her to contemplate canceling the festivities following the tragedy.

“I was tapping out, like, ‘I just can’t do this.’ And that’s when my friends stepped in and said, ‘We are doing this,'” Melissa told People. “Because a number of people who are coming lost their homes too, and they were like, ‘Thank God we have this to look forward to.’ I also knew that we were all going to want to go away for a weekend to get out of all this chaos and rest our brains.”

With a morale boost from her friends and loved ones, Melissa proceeded with the wedding plans, bringing together a community of loved ones who appreciated the pick-me-up.

“They told me, ‘We need to be around you too.’ And they really stepped up and helped with the rest of the planning,” Melissa explained. “Just to be able to be with all of my friends, all at the same time… It’s really something that I needed at a time in my life where everything felt like it had been taken away again.”

Melissa Rivers and Steve Mitchel The Lawfare Project Fundraiser on May 8, 2024 in Beverly Hills, California. Photo: Amy Sussman/Getty Images

How did Melissa Rivers meet her husband Steve Mitchel?

Melissa and Mitchel met in 2022 at a Didi Hirsch Mental Health and Suicide Prevention event. Their relationship blossomed over a year and a half, culminating in a romantic proposal during a couple’s vacation to Mexico’s One & Only Mandarina Resort. But before popping the question in November 2023, Mitchel asked for Cooper’s blessing.

Mitchel, of course, received the good graces, and Cooper later gave a speech welcoming his stepfather into the family at the couple’s wedding. Aw!

Don’t miss Joan Rivers: A Dead Funny All-Star Tribute

Joan Rivers onstage during the “Roast of Joan Rivers” at on July 26, 2009. Photo: Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic

As an executive producer of the upcoming NBC special honoring her mother, Melissa continues to uphold Rivers’ impact. The tribute will feature a dynamite lineup of comics and entertainers celebrating Joan’s trailblazing contributions to comedy.

Joan Rivers: A Dead Funny All-Star Tribute premieres on Tuesday, May 13 at 10 p.m. ET/PT and will be available to stream the next day on Peacock.

“This tribute is everything my mother would have wanted — hilarious, unfiltered, and filled with people she respected (and roasted). And as usual, she was still the funniest person in the room. It’s incredibly moving to see so many iconic comedians come together to celebrate her legacy, especially the women whose careers she helped make possible by breaking down so many doors,” Melissa Rivers said. “I know she’d be thrilled to see how far things have come, and she’d still have notes.”