Melissa Rivers is all set to take her late mother's place as co-host of the E! Celebrity fashion show, "Fashion Police," E! Channel announced Wednesday, June 17.
"Fashion Police" co-host Joan Rivers died from brain damage due to lack of oxygen, according to the New York City Medical Examiner Office. Melissa Rivers even filed a law suit against the clinic stating that her mother passed away as a result of the doctors not acting on time.
Following her mother's demise, Rivers will join fellow hosts Giuliana Rancic and Brad Goreski when Fashion Police returns this summer. She will continue to serve as executive producer.
This comes after Kathy Griffin and Kelly Osbourne's exit from the show, Time noted.
In a statement, E! Channel executive Jeff Olde noted that as an original producer of the show, Rivers was the one to create its blend of fashion and comedy.
"As an executive producer since the beginning, Melissa helped shape 'Fashion Police' into an iconic TV series that couples fashion with comedy," Jeff Olde said.
He continued, "We are pleased to now also feature Melissa in front of the 'Fashion Police' cameras, as she joins returning panelists Giuliana and Brad. And with the added flavor of rotating panelists, the show will deliver fresh, different and unpredictable fashion reviews with each new episode."
The show, according to reports on Variety, is expected take on a new format in which two celebrity guests will join Giuliana Rancic, Brad Goreski and Melissa Rivers each episode.
The series is slated to kick off Aug., 31 and will cover the MTV Video Music Awards. It will run for six episodes through the end of the year.
"Fashion Police" was originally designed to mock celebrity's clothing and styling, but several fans believed it went too far when Rancic commented that Disney actress Zendaya's dreadlocked hairstyle smells like "patchouli oil" or "weed."
Rancic afterwards apologized for her comments.
"I want to apologize for a comment I made on last night's 'Fashion Police' about Zendaya's hair. As you know, 'Fashion Police' is a show that pokes fun at celebrities in good spirit, but I do understand that something I said last night did cross the line. I just want everyone to know, I didn't intend to hurt anybody. But I've learned it's not my intent that matters, it's the result, and the result is that people are offended, including Zendaya, and that is not OK. Therefore, I want to say to Zendaya, and anyone else out there that I have hurt, that I am so, so sincerely sorry. This really has been a learning experience for me," Rancic said during a live telecast of E! News.
Following the incident, Kelly Osbourne left the show, and Kathy Griffin followed suit despite having filmed only seven episodes as a host. She explained her move on Twitter saying that she didn't want to be involved in the show's "body shaming."
"There is plenty to make fun of in pop culture without bringing people's bodies into it," she noted. "I do not want to use my comedy to contribute to a culture of unattainable perfectionism and intolerance towards difference."
Melissa Rivers and her mother, Joan, created E! red carpet franchise before working on "Fashion Police" together in front of and behind the camera. The team of mother/daughter also starred in four season of "Joan & Melissa: Joan Knows Best?" their own reality show on WEtv.
