On this day in 1935,  Joan Rivers was born in Brooklyn, New York. Rivers, the daughter of a prominent physician, graduated from Barnard College at age 19, married, and began working for a department store as a fashion consultant. But by the time she was 23, she’d left the job and the marriage, and was struggling to become a comedian. Her big break came in 1965, when she appeared on The Tonight Show and made a fan of host Johnny Carson. More talk show and nightclub appearances followed, and by the early 1970s she was headlining in Las Vegas and making hit comedy recordings.

In 1983, Johnny Carson made her permanent guest host of his show. She appeared regularly for three years. In 1986, she left The Tonight Show to start her own talk show on the fledgling Fox network, sparking a bitter feud with Carson. The show flopped, and she left after a year. About the same time, her husband, Edgar Rosenberg, committed suicide. After struggling through a difficult personal time, she launched a syndicated daytime talk show in 1989 and later hosted a jewelry show on QVC. She has published several books, including Bouncing Back in 1997. With daughter Melissa, Joan hosts hit specials before the Oscars, Emmys and Golden Globe awards, dishing with celebrities while disparaging their wardrobes on E! Entertainment Television.