Uploaded January 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago
CHRIS ROCK’S FIRST LATE NIGHT APPEARANCE: THE BACKSTORY:
On the morning of May 15, 1987, Fox officially fired Joan Rivers and her husband, Edgar Rosenberg (the show’s producer), following a period of low ratings and internal conflict. Fox allowed Rivers to host one final episode that night to say goodbye to her audience. With Howie Mandel on the couch watching and Pee Wee Herman backstage, Rock made his late-night debut on this exact episode, yet when he changed his set on the fly, the band played him off on the cue that was given that he did earlier than expected only 2 1/2 minutes into his set. Before he went on, Rivers was visibly upset and crying during the commercial breaks.
CHRIS ROCK’S FIRST LATE NIGHT APPEARANCE: THE BACKSTORY:
On the morning of May 15, 1987, Fox officially fired Joan Rivers and her husband, Edgar Rosenberg (the show’s producer), following a period of low ratings and internal conflict. Fox allowed Rivers to host one final episode that night to say goodbye to her audience. With Howie Mandel on the couch watching and Pee Wee Herman backstage, Rock made his late-night debut on this exact episode, yet when he changed his set on the fly, the band played him off on the cue that was given that he did earlier than expected only 2 1/2 minutes into his set. Before he went on, Rivers was visibly upset and crying during the commercial breaks.
