Joan Rivers Wasn't A Fan Of Ben Stiller & Her Reason Was Largely One-Sided

Joan Rivers was never one to hold back her true feelings, and unfortunately for Ben Stiller, that meant she called him out in a very public way on a number of occasions. However, when it comes to Ben himself, the "Night at the Museum" star has said he never had an issue with her. 

The first hint that Rivers wasn't a fan of Ben came in her 2010 documentary, "Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work." In one scene ahead of a stand-up gig at the Kennedy Center, she gave her thoughts on each of the comedians included in the show. Of Jon Stewart, she declared, "Smart." Of Bill Maher and Garry Shandling, she gushed, "Brilliant." Ben, on the other hand, prompted Rivers to hesitate. "Meh ... lucky," she shrugged (via Watching & Learning). 

Now, that might have been laughed off as a playful dig. After all, in response to her own name being listed, Rivers had quipped, "Okay." However, a few years later, during an appearance on "The Howard Stern Show," she made her feelings on Ben abundantly clear. Pointing out that she was actually close with Ben's famous family, Rivers complained that Jerry Stiller's son was disrespectful towards her. Listen, a family friend being disrespectful would be enough to get many people's backs up, so if Rivers felt he was out of line, we're not surprised she felt a type of way about it. However, a few months after Rivers' passing, Ben shared that he'd never had any ill feelings towards her. Even more heartbreakingly, he learned in an interview of his own with Howard Stern that the beef likely stemmed from a complete misunderstanding.

Joan Rivers' biting commentary on Ben Stiller came just months before her death in a March 2014 episode of "The Howard Stern Show," and roughly a year later, the "Tower Heist" star was asked about it when he appeared on the show. 

"She says you ignored her on the red carpet," Robin Quivers told Ben. The actor, for his part, shared that he'd had no idea. "Is that what it is? This is helping me, because I didn't understand why she didn't like me," Ben replied, going on to explain that he'd always been confused — particularly when he caught wind of the "Lucky" barb — given how friendly Rivers was with his folks. Enter, Stern, who explained that that was what had made it so upsetting for Rivers. "She'd say, 'Howard ... I'm friends with Ben's mother. And Ben should say hello to me,'" Stern recounted of their conversations on the matter. As for why Ben hadn't acknowledged her on the red carpet, he shared that it probably hadn't been done intentionally. In fact, he said he couldn't even recall the incident, but far from rubbishing what the late comedian had said, he took responsibility. "I don't remember that happening, but I'm sure it did," he said. 

Like we said, Ben's interview with Stern only happened after Rivers had died, meaning there was no way for them to talk it over. "I feel bad that we never got to work that out. ... My parents were really friends with her and spent a lot of time and worked together with her, and she had an amazing career," he said. It certainly is sad that they never got the opportunity, but we'll give Ben an A+ for the classy comments.