Late night hosts remember Joan Rivers, one of their own

Late night hosts remember Joan Rivers, one of their own
(Image credit: Jimmy Kimmel Live)

Pioneering and sharp-tongued comedian Joan Rivers, who died on Thursday at age 81, gained a national audience on the Ed Sullivan Show and other late-night TV programs. She was one of Johnny Carson's stand-in hosts on The Tonight Show, and she even had her own late-night show in the 1980s. So on Thursday night, her successors paid tribute to the woman credited with blazing a path for women in comedy, and inspiring men in comedy, too. Here are some of their tributes. --Peter Weber

David Letterman: "Talk about guts!"

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.