The centerpiece of the exhibit is Joan Rivers’ joke file – a collection of nearly 70,000 original jokes created by Rivers and organized into hundreds of categories, from “Parents Hated Me” and “Cooking” to “Weddings” and “Airlines.” Originally installed in her home office, the file reflects Rivers’ craftsmanship, wit and dedication to refining her material over the course of seven decades, from her earliest handwritten jokes through 2014.

Immersive design from the museum’s award-winning creative team brings her material to life, allowing guests to hear and see Rivers performing jokes pulled directly from the file. Visitors can view original joke cards from the file up close and even browse through a curated set on their own, offering a rare opportunity to experience Rivers’ comedic process exactly as she crafted it – one card, one punchline at a time.

Among the joke file’s treasures: 390 jokes on NEW YORK, 538 on GUYS I DATED, 989 on POLITICS, and 1,434 on AGING. In “28 AND SINGLE” (see: WEDDINGS), Rivers wrote, “I was left standing at the altar so long my bouquet took root!”; in “EDGAR” (see: MARRIAGE, HONEYMOON), she quipped, “My honeymoon was a disaster. The next day, he screamed, ‘Don’t tell me you can’t cook either!'”; and under “COOKING,” she recorded the classic, “If the Lord wanted me to cook, I’d have aluminum hands. These hands were meant to hold charge cards.” The joke file was featured in the 2010 documentary Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work.

“I am so honored that my mother’s joke file now has a home at the National Comedy Center,” said Melissa Rivers. “She would have been thrilled to be included among the legends represented here. This exhibit is a celebration of her humor, her fearlessness, and her extraordinary impact on comedy. It means so much to know that fans and future generations will be able to connect with her work and experience her comedic brilliance in such a personal way.”

Joan River's Joke Cabinet

“Joan Rivers was a master of reinvention who blazed a trail for generations of comedians, breaking barriers and redefining what was possible in stand-up and entertainment,” stated National Comedy Center Executive Director Journey Gunderson. “This is not simply the accessioning of a legendary artifact – it’s an intimate, behind-the-scenes look at the creative mind of a culture-shifting artist. Through this exhibit, guests can step into Joan’s process, see the precision and persistence behind every joke, and experience the artistry that made her one of comedy’s most enduring and dynamic figures.”

The Rivers’ connection to Jamestown and the National Comedy Center runs deep: Joan headlined the Lucille Ball Comedy Festival in 2011 during Lucille Ball’s 100th birthday celebration – the year the concept of a national museum and archive for comedy was first introduced – and Melissa Rivers participated in the groundbreaking ceremony for the National Comedy Center in 2015.

The Joan Rivers Joke File joins the National Comedy Center’s permanent collection of over 150,000 artifacts, documents, and recordings from comedy’s most significant artists, including Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, George Carlin, Carl Reiner, Richard Pryor, Johnny Carson, The Smothers Brothers, Lenny Bruce, Don Rickles as well as the creative minds behind Saturday Night Live, In Living Color, Laugh-In, and many more.

“Joan Rivers is among the most influential stand-up comedians in the history of the art form,” said Dr. Laura LaPlaca, the National Comedy Center’s Vice President and head of the Carl Reiner Department of Archives and Preservation. “Her legacy, characterized by bold truth-telling, personal vulnerability, and an unrelenting drive to make great art, altered the trajectory of American cultural history more than once. Preserving and presenting The Joan Rivers Joke File allows us to share not only her extraordinary comedic voice, resilience, and craftsmanship, but also the uncompromising originality that continues to inspire artists today.”

Joan Rivers is pictured.