Friday nights at 9 p.m. were once reserved for a night-in with Kelly Osbourne, George Kotsiopoulos, Giuliana Rancic, and the legendary, Joan Rivers. For one hour of my week, I would set aside the daily distractions of life – piles of homework, Instagram, Tumblr, my social life – and dedicate my time to a fashion education, filled with endless laughs and witty humor with the lively cast of Fashion Police.
However, my end-of-the-week tradition came to an abrupt halt with the tragic death of Rivers. On Sept. 4, 2014, the Fashion Police host died during an unplanned biopsy that caused a seizure of her vocal cords, blocking her air tubes, and, ultimately, leading to the host’s death.
Rivers left her mark on more than just the hearts of Fashion Police fans (appropriately nicknamed, Joan-Rangers). Rivers also made her legacy known through the world of film; comedy; and on the red carpet, where she coined the infamous question “who are you wearing?” back in 1995.
After the loss of its host, the show, which airs on the E! Network took a temporary break, but made a much-anticipated return on Jan. 12, 2015 to discuss the fashions of the 72nd Golden Globes Awards. Though, with a new opening theme and a new set, this was hardly the Fashion Police viewers remembered.
Firstly, the show announced that it would be replacing its weekly show times with a 17-episode season, and instead of summing up the week in fashion every Friday night, only the major red carpets and fashion events would be covered on Monday nights. Not only were viewers forced to adjust to this schedule change, but some of our favorite segments have been cut, including The Five Must-See Looks of the Week, Starlet or Streetwalker, and Guess Me from Behind.
But it wasn’t the format change that caused the most unrest among Joan-Rangers; the change in panel completed the new era of Fashion Police. Rancic and Osbourne, two of the original four panelists remained, but our beloved George was replaced by fashion stylist and reality television star, Brad Goreski. As for the new host, many rumors and predictions swirled on social media, but Kathy Griffin was chosen for the job.
In the beginning, we had to feel bad for Griffin. She was stepping onto the scene where Rivers had already established a bonded crew and a loyal fanbase. Of course we all had reservations about this new kid on the block, but Griffin made it clear that she was not trying to replace Rivers from day one. “Joan, I know you’re watching from heaven,” the new host said to the camera during the first episode of the new season, “but don’t get it twisted – I won’t be afraid to bring the hammer down on anyone and everyone.”
I suppose this statement was meant to bring reassurance to the Joan-Rangers that the snarky humor they cherished from the show would remain…but we quickly learned that Griffin is not a woman of her word.
The most obvious difference between Rivers and Griffin is that Rivers had the knowhow and genuine interest in critiquing fashion. While her classic one-liners made us all double over with laughter, her knowledge of the topic was blatant. Meanwhile, I wish I could say the same about Griffin. The redhead comedienne made it clear that she was only interested in fashion that she could make fun of, but if one is going to be the host of a fashion show, she should be able to comment on all fashions: the hits and the misses.
Griffin’s lack of education in fashion was first shown while discussing Kate Hudson’s dress on the Golden Globes red carpet. Hudson was glowing in a white Atelier Versace gown, but all Griffin could mention was the possibility of a wardrobe malfunction. Thankfully, Goreski proved himself as a worthy panelist and distracted from Griffin’s unfunny comment by saying that Hudson looked so hot, she could turn him straight.
This trend continued through the night, with Griffin delivering her disappointing one-liners, and the rest of the cast providing the actual critiques.
Not only were Griffin’s comments unfunny, but they were apparently inaccurate. Lupita Nyong’o donned the carpet in a floral Giambattista Valli couture dress. “Yawn, perfection again,” Griffin noted. The rest of the panel then went on to discuss why the dress actually wasn’t perfect and had multiple flaws.
Apparently, I’m not the only one disappointed with Griffin’s work. The Wrap posted recent tweets about Griffin and the Joan-Rangers did not hold back. One Twitter user says: “I adore Kathy, but she doesn’t cut it as the host of #FashionPolice.”
Others weren’t so nice, with another user posting: “Kathy doesn’t need 2 fill Joan’s shoes…she just needed 2 b decent & she WASN’T AT ALL!”
If Griffin can’t handle her position as the new host, who can? Well, Rancic certainly seems to be trying. Lately, she’s been introducing the show, the segments, and even attempting to follow in Joan’s footsteps by copying her edgy humor.
On the latest episode, where the 87th Academy Awards were covered, Rancic was seen flipping off The Academy for not honoring Rivers during the show. She later made a controversial comment about a young, black star’s dreadlocks smelling of patchouli oil or weed. She later gave a weak apology on Twitter, saying she was sorry if she offended anyone. For the record, she did.
With the Joan-Rangers unhappy, who knows how much longer E! can keep the show running. Even if it does last, Griffin may be playing a new game with Rancic: B**** Stole My Job! But honestly, who would complain?