Melissa Rivers is missing her mother Joan Rivers during the holidays. The stand-up comedienne died unexpectedly in 2014 at the age of 81.
‘I still think about my mother a lot. I still cry and I’m always proud to say I’m hers,’ said the TV host – who is now starring on Women Our Age with Melissa Rivers – to the Daily Mail.
As far as her mom’s passing she said she has yet to receive a message from beyond from the icon: ‘I haven’t gotten a “message” exactly, but I hear her voice in my head all the time.’
And the 57-year-old still leans on the ‘smart’ advice her talk show host mom gave her. ‘It’s the same advice my mom gave me growing up. Both my parents always said: whatever you’re going through will pass, and that applies to the positive and the negative.
‘If something is hard, remember you’ll get through it. If something is good, appreciate it, because that will pass too,’ she said. ‘And as Winston Churchill said, “If you’re going through hell, keep going.”‘
Her mother used to insist that they put up a Christmas tree every year even though they are Jewish, and now Melissa is doing the same: ‘My mother was always adamant that as a Jew we absolutely still had to have a tree. So of course I still honor her wishes,’ said Rivers.
Melissa Rivers is missing her mother Joan Rivers during the holidays she told Daily Mail; she also has a new show out called Women Our Age with Melissa Rivers
The stand-up comedienne died unexpectedly in 2014 in New York City at the age of 81. ‘I still think about my mother a lot. I still cry and I’m always proud to say I’m hers,’ said the TV host; seen with Joan in 2009 in LA
Now Melissa is hosting a new original video podcast series called Women Our Age with Melissa Rivers, which airs on QVC+ and HSN+. It kicked off on Friday.
Her celebrity guests are Gabby Reece, Shawn Killinger, Stacy London, Mally Roncal, Dorinda Medley, Margaret Cho, Lori Goldstein, Daisy Fuentes, Lisa Lampanelli and Drea De Matteo.
And her expert guests are Dr. Kim Einhorn, Dr. Doris Day, Robi Ludwig, Katie Webber and Rebecca Ryan.
Melissa also talked to Daily Mail about her own experience with middle age.
‘It’s not as scary as I thought it was going to be. Honestly, it’s turned into a really positive time in my life. I’ve learned so much about myself, and that’s changed the way I live. At this age, I make better decisions in so many areas of my life,’ she told Daily Mail.
‘That’s also why my new show is so much fun. Almost every woman I talk to says she’s in a better place now than she was when she was younger.
‘On Women Our Age, my first question is always, “When did you realize you were 50?” And most of the time the answer is the same: “I never really thought about it until I had to fill out paperwork.”‘
Rivers added, ‘For me, it’s when you have to keep spinning that dial to enter your birthdate — and suddenly you’re scrolling… and scrolling… and you think, “Okay, wow. I’m scrolling a lot.”
As far as her mom’s passing she said ‘I haven’t gotten a “message” exactly, but I hear her voice in my head all the time’; seen with Joan in 2005 in Hollywood
And the 57-year-old still leans on the advice her talk show host mom gave her. ‘It’s the same advice my mom gave me growing up. Both my parents always said: whatever you’re going through will pass, and that applies to the positive and the negative’; seen in 2001
‘What I’m finding in these interviews with women our age – literally – is a level of honesty you don’t always get from a younger generation. We’ve all been so media-trained and so careful about what we say. And now most of us are like, “You know what? Screw it! I’m just going to say what I think,” rather than what my publicist told me to say.’
These days she has ‘deeper friendships, better relationships, and a much clearer vision of what I actually enjoy doing,’ she added.
And life as a new wife is thrilling Rivers told Daily Mail. ‘My marriage is great. I truly feel like I have a partner, someone who really has my back,’ she said.
She wed attorney Steve Mitchel in Montana in March.
‘Earlier in my life, I don’t think I knew the qualities I not only wanted, but actually needed in a relationship. And that’s one of the great things about midlife: you really learn what works for you.’
And she noted that middle age is different for her than it was for her mother’s generation.
‘I think there’s a very different perception of what middle age looks like now. For our parents’ generation, it could feel like your life was over. But our generation is having a completely different experience.
Joan Rivers and Melissa at a NYC fundraiser in the 1970s
On her new show she talks middle age: ‘I think there’s a very different perception of what middle age looks like now. For our parents’ generation, it could feel like your life was over. But our generation is having a completely different experience’
‘We’re living in a world where some of the most famous, beautiful, and successful women are middle-aged. It’s pretty incredible.’
She has a point: Jennifer Aniston, Jennifer Lopez, Angelina Jolie, Julia Roberts and Catherine Zeta-Jones – all women over 50 – are still working plenty and thriving.
Her show, which can be seen online, aims to help other women.
The brunette offers inspiring stories and ‘refreshingly honest takes about life’s next chapter,’ she said.
Women Our Age with Melissa Rivers tackles subjects like perimenopause and menopause to women’s wellness and rediscovering your passions.
One of her guests is Reece, a model, volleyball player and author – who is married to surfer Laird Hamilton. She said on the show, ‘Forty was harder for me than 50… I am OK with it.’
Reece also said she moved in with Hamilton only eight days after they started dating and it’s been great even since as she dished on their love life.
As far as being a mother to young daughters she said, ‘I let then make their own decisions,’ as she watches lovingly. ‘My girls are pretty tough, they are pretty formidable, they are not wallflowers,’ added the athlete. Her youngest child is 17-years-old.
The TV star wed Steve Mitchel, an attorney, in Montana in March; seen together in May in Beverly Hills
Joan and Melissa at Melissa’s wedding with John Endicott in 1998
‘QVC has made it their mission to champion women over 50 and build a community and platform where they can come together to share their experiences and celebrate who they are,’ a press release said.
‘This community of women are having a moment and Women Our Age with Melissa Rivers meets their real life needs head-on.
‘The new QVC+ and HSN+ series reframes this chapter as a power era, offering women the relatable, empowering ‘group chat’ that’s worthy of her sacred time. Smart, warm, and lightly irreverent, the show makes space for the topics women are living every day but rarely get to talk about out loud.
‘Melissa is a fashion expert, best-selling author, and long-time friend of QVC.’
Women Our Age with Melissa Rivers premieres Friday, December 19, 2025 with new episodes dropping exclusively on QVC+ and HSN+ TV streaming service at Midnight EDT every Friday through February 20, 2026 (10-episode run).
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