What Is Melissa Rivers' Net Worth?
Melissa Rivers is an American actress and TV host who has a net worth of $100 million. Melissa Rivers is probably most famous for being the daughter of famous comedian and actress Joan Rivers, but she has also had a moderately successful entertainment career of her own. Joan Rivers was worth $150 million at the time of her death, and Melissa was her primary heir.
Early Life
Melissa Warburg Rosenberg was born on January 20, 1968, in New York City. She is the only child of actress and comedian Joan Rivers and film and television producer Edgar Rosenberg. She grew up in Los Angeles, where she attended the John Thomas Dye School, Marlborough School, and The Buckley School. Melissa continued her education at the University of Pennsylvania, graduating in 1989 with a history degree. Sadly, her father died by suicide during her second year of college. In 1990, she adopted her mother's stage name and began going by the name Melissa Rivers.
Joan Rivers and Melissa Rivers / Christopher Polk/Getty Images
Career
In the 1990s, Melissa began her career as an actress with roles on television shows such as "Beverly Hill, 90210," "Silk Stalkings," and "The Comeback." She appeared with her mother in the celebrity docudrama "Tears and Laughter: The Joan and Melissa Rivers Story" (1994) and also had roles in the films "Men in White"(1998) and "The Big Tease" (1999). Melissa also worked as an interviewer on the red carpet in the early 1990s, interviewing celebrities at nationally televised award shows. Furthermore, she worked as a host and producer for the E! Network and hosted two specials for the channel: "Oh Baby! Melissa's Guide to Pregnancy" and "Oh Toddler! Surviving the Early Years."
Melissa and her mother had a gig hosting red-carpet interviews for E!, which they left in 2003 to join the "TV Guide" Channel. The deal that they entered into with "TV Guide" was highly lucrative and was valued between $6 million and $8 million. She continued working with her mother in 2013 as co-creator and co-producer of Joan's YouTube web series "In Bed With Joan." In the 15 to 30-minute episodes, Joan would interview a variety of celebrities and discuss various personal topics, all from the comfort of her bed. Melissa would conduct interviews, asking questions during the last few minutes of each episode. Featured guests included Kathy Griffin, Sarah Silverman, Margaret Cho, RuPaul, Lance Bass, Howie Mandel, and Kelly Osbourne. In 2015, Melissa joined "Fashion Police" as a co-host.
In addition to her TV and film career, Rivers is an avid animal rights advocate and supporter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation. She has appeared on several game shows to raise money for charities, including "Celebrity Apprentice" and "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire."
Presley Ann/Getty Images
Personal Life
Melissa married horse trainer John Endicott in December 1988. Their wedding at the Plaza Hotel in New York City cost an estimated $3 million. They share a son, Edgar Cooper Endicott, who was born in 2000. The couple divorced in 2003. From 2008 to 2011, Melissa was in a relationship with sports coach Jason Zimmerman, and she has dated talent agent Mark Rousso since 2015.
Melissa filed a malpractice case against Yorkville Endoscopy, the New York clinic, as well as the clinic's doctors, for her mother Joan Rivers' death following a routine procedure in 2014. They reached an undisclosed settlement in 2016.
Inheritance
In late October 2014, it was reported that Melissa was set to inherit over $100 million from Joan's estate. Sources close to the family confirmed that Melissa would be inheriting $75 million in cash, plus her mother's $35 million New York City condo, following Joan's unfortunate passing following a routine medical procedure in 2014.
Real Estate
In 1998, Melissa paid $2.35 million for a home in LA's Pacific Palisades neighborhood. She sold the home in July 2019 for $5.223 million after listing it about a year earlier for $6.2 million.
In July 2015, she oversaw the sale of her mother's longtime New York City penthouse for $28 million.
In March 2016, Melissa paid $11 million for a home in Santa Monica, California. She sold this home in March 2021 for $15.5 million.
A few weeks after her Santa Monica sale, she paid $7.8 million for a new home in nearby Pacific Palisades.
