10:38 AM EDT 9/23/2014
Kathy Griffin is the top contender to fill Joan Rivers' spot on Fashion Police.
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Following E!'s announcement that the celebrity style show would return in 2015, rumors began flying over who would take the late comedian's place. Melissa Rivers, Joan's daughter and the producer of the show, has reportedly given Griffin her blessing.
"Kathy has been told if she wants the gig she can have it because Melissa wanted someone who her mother would have approved of," a Fashion Police insider told Daily Mail on Sept. 22. "Kathy will probably take the position, but they are still working out the deal."
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This isn't the first time Griffin's name has been tied to the Fashion Police legacy. While Joan was still in a coma, there was speculation that Griffin was quick to pitch for the comedian's spot. She denied these allegations on Larry King Live.
"It's disgusting. It's not true. And I know that this stuff shouldn't bother me at this stage of my career - you know, I thought I'd heard it all - but that one hurts, because it's as far from the truth as you can get," she said.
A close family friend told Daily Mail that Griffin "adored and admired" Joan, who she saw as a comedy mentor. She was one of many guests who attended Joan's memorial service on Sept. 7.
Melissa is for the show's continuance in honor of her late mother, but what about other Fashion Police co-hosts? Giuliana Rancic told ABC News last week that she was unsure of returning to the show without Joan.
"A part of me is like Joan would want Melissa and us and the team to go on, and I know she would, but it's just a matter of can there be a show without Joan? Do we want to do a Fashion Police without Joan? I don't know," she said.
Fashion Police will return in 2015 to cover the Golden Globes on Monday, Jan. 12.
Do you think the show can continue without Joan Rivers?
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