The wrap

‘Hacks’: 10 Ways Jean Smart’s Character Is Similar to Joan Rivers – And 4 Big Differences

Is HBO Max’s “Hacks” really based on the life of comedy legend Joan Rivers, or was she just an “inspiration” for Jean Smart’s Deborah Vance? The HBO Max dramedy series stars Smart and Hannah Schwier as comedians on opposite sides of a generation gap, with the former playing a fading showbiz legend in Rivers’ style. And one thing the two of them have very much in common is their love of being on stage. “This is where I belong,” said Rivers, who died in 2014. “I’m only on stage when I’m really, really happy. I am a performer. That is my life. This is me. That’s it. “The similarities don’t stop there. We took a close look at Smart’s snarky but funny” Hacks “character and compared him to Rivers’ own words from the 2010 documentary” Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work ” The result … well, you decide. • Late night female comedian pioneer Deborah: While reviewing old videos of Deborah’s work, Ava finds an old pilot for a late night show that never aired Your TV doesn’t turn on, “says Deborah in the video.” It’s late at night. Yes, I’m a woman. I know it’s very confusing. “Joan: It was a big deal when Rivers was the permanent guest host in “The Tonight Show” came after Johnny Carson needed some time off. But while Carson was later preparing for retirement, Rivers learned that she wasn’t on the list to fill his shoes full-time. After Fox Television Network Rivers ran her own late -Night show offered she assumed – and Carson never spoke to her again. NBC / HBO Max • QVC Deborah: From fuzzy slippers to rose marble bath caddies, Deborah QVC has tucked away. Joan: In the early 90s, Rivers began designing jewelry, clothing and beauty products for the grocery store. “Back then, only dead celebrities went on [QVC]. My career was over. I had to pay bills, ”she said later. But she got the last laugh – by 2014, Rivers products exceeded $ 1 billion. QVC / HBO Max • Cataloging Jokes Deborah: One episode takes Ava to Deborah’s basement, which is filled with boxes of videos of old performances, press clippings, and each of the 30,000 jokes she has written in her long career. Joan: Rivers was more organized than Deborah – a lot more. In “A Piece of Work” she shows her alphabetical joke card system. When a particular subject was needed for an appearance, she would go to the file and pull one out. Netflix • Plastic Surgery Deborah: “I haven’t changed my face – I freshened it up,” says Deborah on the show, referring to her latest “eye care” product. Joan: There are few celebrities synonymous with plastic surgery than Rivers. “People want to look at pretty women. Nobody wants an old woman, so I started plastic surgery with little beauty jobs, ”she once said. “I’ve really become a huge advocate of it. And then I became the figurehead for it. And then I became a joke. Netflix / HBO Max • Off-stage Person Deborah: It’s very clear that Deborah is difficult with her inner circle. Even, yes, bitchy. Joan: Though part of Rivers’ stand-up act was joking that she hated anything and everyone, those who knew her or worked with her loved her to pieces. And her kindness and generosity continued after her death. “Melissa [Rivers, Joan’s daughter] still pays everyone; She still takes care of everyone because Joan asked her to, ”a family friend told The Daily News. “She is a guardian angel.” HBO Max Getty Images • Las Vegas Deborah: As a resident comic at the Palmetto Hotel in Las Vegas, Deborah starred in over 2,500 shows for 30 years: a Vegas record. She was such a big part of Sin City that they wanted to name a street after her. “Probably a dead end with an abortion clinic,” she joked. Joan: Though Rivers was never based in town (she had a home in Bel Air, California, and an apartment in Manhattan), Rivers opened up several times in Vegas for singers such as Helen Reddy, Robert Goulet, and Paul Anka in the 1970s . A few decades later she opened for Don Rickles because it meant she could “go home early”. HBO Max • Relationship with her daughter Deborah: Deborah’s relationship with her daughter (and only child), DJ, is combative at best. In the worst case, it is downright tragic. DJ pays a paparazzi to follow her mom and take pictures of her that look the worst and then sells the photos. The tragic part: Deborah knows about it and lets her do it to make her feel “self-sufficient”. Joan: Rivers’ relationship with your daughter and only child, Melissa, was loving to the end. They worked together for many years, beginning in 1994 when they teamed up to do the red carpet for the E! To edit, and the next day a recap of what the stars in “Fashion Police” wore. They were both on the eighth season of “Celebrity Apprentice” (which Joan won) and starred on the 2011 reality show “Joan & Melissa: Joan Knows Best?” Getty Images • Makeup, Makeup and More Makeup up Deborah: Deborah woke up in the morning and had someone in the house do her hair and makeup even if she didn’t leave the house for that day. Joan: It’s scary when you see yourself completely without makeup. It gives me the Willies, ”Rivers said once. “So I get up in the morning and the first thing I do is put on my make-up.” Netflix • Deborah Opulent Apartment: Deborah loves her collectibles, whether it’s a sofa that Liberace sat on in the 1970s, a Verdure tapestry, or an antique pepper shaker. Joan: “This is my apartment and it’s very great,” Rivers said in the documentary. “This is how Marie Antoinette would have lived if she had had money.” Joan Rivers Manhattan Apartment / Photo: Netflix • Fan Worship Deborah: Wherever Deborah’s fan gathered, you’ll find the diva right where she’s going to sign autographs and blow kisses. “They love me!” is something Deborah said more than once on the show. Joan: The Rivers fans were loyal to the bone … and she was loyal again. “The longevity of my career is amazing,” she told the Baltimore Sun in 2012. “It’s wonderful that I’m still here. I’m the happiest woman in the world.” Getty Images / HBO Max • The Need to Stay Busy Deborah: When Deborah’s assistant, Marcus, tells her she has the rest of the day off , she says: “Um,” her arms crossed tightly over her chest and her eyes look away – clearly not at all satisfied with the idea of ​​not having anything to do. Joan: “I’ll show you fear – that’s fear,” says Rivers in “A Piece of Work,” while flashing a calendar with no entries. “If my book ever looked like this, it means nobody wants me, that everything I’ve tried in my life didn’t work.” Netflix • Beloved bitches Deborah: Deborah had two corgis who were the light of their lives. She prepared steak dinners for them and also prepared one for herself. Joan: Rivers’ little terrier Spike was everywhere with her. He performed with her on numerous television appearances en and even on the cover of People. “She was the energy in the house,” she said years after Spike’s death in 2001 at the age of 17. “She always had a smile on her face.” People / HBO Max • Will take any job out there Deborah: “An appearance is an appearance,” said Deborah. And she was serious and even showed up in a pizzeria because the money was good and “the press will be there”. Joan: When Rivers’ husband Edgar died of suicide in 1987, she was in debt of $ 37 million. She worked non-stop to wipe the slate clean. • Manager suffers from Deborah: Deborah is not thrilled that her manager Jimmy is not the best captain to steer her career – but she stayed with him because Jimmy’s father was her manager before him. Joan: Rivers had a number of managers in her career, but one that she felt particularly close to was Billy Sammeth, whom she had known for over 30 years. “[Billy is] A big part of my life, ”she said. But as he continued to go AWOL for weeks, she knew she had to let him go, a decision that had moved her to tears. Two new episodes of “Hacks” will be released on HBO Max Thursday night. Read the original story, ‘Hacks’: 10 Ways Jean Smart’s Character Looks Like Joan Rivers – And 4 Big Differences In TheWrap

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR