All eyes will be on the Emmys red carpet tonight as nominees including Jennifer Aniston, Ayo Edebiri, Lily Gladstone and Sofia Vergara make the rounds. But according to Melissa Rivers, longtime co-host of E!’s Fashion Police, awards show fashion and commentary has lost its spark.
Fashion Police ran from 1995 to 2017, during which time Melissa and her comedian mother, Joan, transformed red carpet coverage into must-watch TV, with Joan’s iconic question, “Who are you wearing?” elevating designers to the spotlight. Joan Rivers died in 2014.
Reflecting on their success, Melissa Rivers recently told Yahoo Entertainment, “The difference with the red carpet was we were allowed to have fun … it became destination viewing.” While she and her mother never held back on sharing their opinion — no matter how scathing — on a look they didn’t like, Rivers says that that sort of unfiltered candidness is now frowned upon.
“Not only can you not say anything funny, you can’t say anything honest,” Rivers said of today’s red carpet. “You can’t say you don’t like someone’s dress. You have to qualify it with what a wonderful person they are, and that they’re so beautiful, and they’re kind to small animals, and they’re fabulous and they usually look amazing.”
