Joan Rivers cracks Adele fat jokes on the 'Late Show'

Joan Rivers cracks Adele fat jokes on the ‘Late Show’

By Meredith Blake

Feb. 27, 2013 12 AM PT

Seth MacFarlane has taken a lot of heat for his performance hosting the Oscars on Sunday night, with critics blasting his jokes (e.g. “Zero Dark Thirty” is a “celebration of every woman’s innate ability to never, ever let anything go”) as sexist, racist, anti-Semitic and, worst of all, stale.

MacFarlane can perhaps breathe a sigh of relief this morning knowing that Joan Rivers has nearly matched him in terms of cruel and retrograde humor. On the “Late Show With David Letterman” Tuesday night, the (alleged) funny woman and self-appointed fashion critic provided a “recap” of the Academy Awards, which largely consisted of taking swipes at Adele.

Rivers had little to say about the British singer’s performance of “Skyfall,” one of the few bright spots in a long, tedious show. She did, however, share plenty of observations about Adele’s weight.

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Rivers began on a gracious note, saying that meeting Adele was one of the highlights of her Oscars night. Letterman, perking up at the mention of the singer’s name, remarked that she was a “lovely woman.” Then, apparently unable to resist the temptation to crack an easy joke, Rivers spread her arms out wide and puffed out her cheeks in the international symbol for “fat.”

The audience groaned in response, but Rivers pressed on. “Oh no, she’s thin. Can we just talk to each other here? What is her song, ‘Rolling in the Deep?’ She should add ‘fried chicken.’”

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Letterman, to his credit, looked more irritated than amused. But the lamest was yet to come. Adele, who had apparently confided in Rivers, was nervous about singing. “She was saying, ‘My throat, my throat! I don’t know if I can swallow!’ and I said, ‘Oh yeah, you can swallow.’ ”

If only more 18-year-old boys were Joan Rivers fans, she’d be a shoo-in to host next year’s Oscars.

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