Todd Williamson/Invision for The Hollywood Reporter/AP ImagesMelissa Rivers honored her mother, Joan Rivers, today in a way most befitting the entertainer's legacy.
Just like her late, great mother did every time she stepped on stage, Melissa captivated an audience Wednesday at the THR Women in Entertainment Breakfast, mixing humor, poignant truths and plenty of heartfelt emotion while speaking expressly about Joan to a crowd for the first time since delivering her rather wonderful eulogy in September.
"I want to thank everyone for inviting me here this morning, and before we start, I'd like to point out that it is definitely a little intimidating to be in a room with the most beautiful, successful women in Hollywood," Melissa began before fellow guests that included Angelina Jolie, Shonda Rhimes, Sarah Silverman, Khloé Kardashian, Kris Jenner and Giuliana Rancic. "But Angelina, I just want you to know I'm really very normal and accessible!"
'My mother was fearless," Melissa said. "And I don't mean she didn't have any fears, I mean that even though she was only 5'2, she stood tall and walked through it. And that's what made her such a brilliant performer.
"She was willing to say what others were thinking and too frightened to admit. She made fun of herself first and foremost which gave her the right to joke about others. She never apologized for a joke, and no topic was taboo and she was fine with that. Truth be told, my mother never thought of herself as a woman working in a man's world. She thought of herself as a comic that had to be funnier than anyone else...she just wanted to do her job and that was to make people laugh."
Joan "has been called everything from a legend, to a trailblazer, to a bitch," the Fashion Police producer continued. "The bottom line is, she was really just my mother."
Melissa concluded, to resounding applause: "If my mother were here this morning, she'd not only be grateful and proud, she would be beyond herself. She would be sitting at the table beaming, while very discreetly shoving croissants and silverware into her purse. On behalf of my mother—thank you so, so much. It's an honor."
Sarah Silverman, who introduced Melissa, kicked off the tribute by saying exactly what so many of Joan's fans have been thinking since her untimely death on Sept. 4.
"Joan Rivers was not done," Silverman said. "At 81, she lived a life that would jam-pack 10 lifetimes, but she wasn't done. She left us unfinished."