Joan Rivers Steamed Over Airport Incident

(CBS)  Joan Rivers is known for her raspy voice and her brash, Brooklyn style.

But she says it was her passport that led to her being kept from boarding a plane as she was about to head home Sunday night from a New Year's vacation in Costa Rica.

The 76-year-old comedienne says she was set to get on a flight to Newark Liberty International Airport -- the last flight out that night -- when she was bumped by a gate agent who found her married and professional names on her boarding pass "fishy."

"At the last minute," Rivers said on CNN's "Larry King Live," "some moron, idiot decided, as we were literally going to the plane and ripping your ticket, that they didn't understand why my passport had two names on it. And I was denied access to the plane."

Rivers' daughter, Melissa Rivers, had flown out earlier, leaving her mother with only $100 in cash, and little patience with gate agents.

"I said to her, 'You must be kidding,' " Rivers recalled for King. " ' I'm gonna have a heart attack over this.' And the woman said, snidely, 'Woman having a heart attack. Let's get the paramedics.' "

David Letterman joked on the "Late Show with David Letterman" that, "It's fascinating to me: We got Joan Rivers, and we still can't get Osama Bin Laden!"

He offered an explanation for why the famously-face-lifted Rivers might have been stopped, kidding that, "Airport security said they were suspicious of Joan's passport. Well, of course -- the photo was her old face!"

After a six-hour drive to another airport, Rivers finally left Costa Rica on Monday, but not for Newark.

"They sent me to Houston," she says. "Even that got screwed up!"

[Gloriabaca]

i don't believe it really happened, i think she just wanted to get on larry king, another grotesque person. we've heard her lie about things before and she gets steamed over everything, like she's some kind of queen or something

[Gloriabaca]

i would hate for the tsa people to be able to determine who was okay to get through with incorrect info and who wasn't. muslims are the ones that are doing everything but you can't let them make the decision.

[Gloriabaca]

fishy story. she got there with the same ticket and it didn't say joseph, she probably always uses the same travel people and they wouldn't make such a stupid mistake. how did she leave the u.s. with joseph on her ticket? then suddenly she realizes her mistake and changes it to saying there are two names on her passport. her career is over and she'll do anything to be on tv with that joker face. you'd think she'd go into hiding instead of trying to get stupid press. she used to be funny but now she's just ridiculous. who cares if she's steamed? if it was true she should have been glad someone caught it. isn't that what this is all about, not that someone didn't recognize her (and that was funny what dave said - that's not the same picture.)

[LynnieNo1]

DEAR JOAN,
I HAVE A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE ON WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU AT THE AIRPORT IN COSTA RICA.
THE SAME THING HAPPENED TO ME IN THE COSTA RICA AIRPORT FOR NO REASON. I WAS SO HUMILIATED, BUT
MY STORY IS ALSO ABOUT LIVING THERE AND THE HORRIFIC OTHER THINGS THAT HAPPENED WHILE I LIVED THERE FROM A DISHONEST LAWYER, WHO I LOST $1000.00'S OF $ BECAUSE OF HIS CORRUPTION. HE CALLED ME BACK IN NORTH AMERICA THAT HE ALMOST DIED AND WOULD HELP FIX WHAT HE DID, BUT HE GOT BETTER AND WENT BACK TO HIS OWN GREEDY SELF.
THERE IS ALSO A MAN WHO STILL LIVES THERE WHO, BELIEVE IT OR NOT, IN THE COSTA RICA COURT ADMITTED TO OWING ME $15,000.00 (IT WAS A LOT MORE THAN THAT BUT AT LEAST HE ADMITTED TO THIS AND THEN HE LIED AND SAID HE COULDNT SPEAK SPANISH SO THE JUDGE DISMISSED THE CASE. THEN THERE'S THE SCAREY PART OF THE COUNTRY WHICH PEOPLE WHO VISIT DO NOT REALIZE HOW DANGEROUS THE BEACHES ARE, TOURISTS ARE ALWAYS DROWNING ( I HAD A VERY SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS DOWN THERE AND TOLD MY EMPLOYEES THAT, UNLESS THE PERSON WALKING INTO OUR OFFICE WAS A SURFER...THE LOVE THE RIP TIDES...BUT THEY HAVE TO INFORM THE CLIENT ABOUT THE RIP TIDES AND THE FREQUENT DROWNINGS)
THERE IS MORE HORRIFIC THINGS I COULD SAY RIGHT NOW...BUT I CAN NOT BECAUSE IF IS ALMOST UNBELIEVEABLE WHAT ELSE I SAW AND DEALT WITH DOWN THERE. BUT I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM U.
PH 778-887-6877
SINCERELY, LYNN

[asv321]

Yes, you drown when you swim in a cataract where there is a sign that specifically prohibits swimming in it because it is DANGEROUS.

You drown if you are drunk and go into the sea thinking nothing can happen to you.

You drown if you enter the sea thinking it is a ******* amusement park where everything is under control even if you don't know how to swim.

This is why tourists die in Costa Rica, they visit the country thinking it is Disney Land and do waterer they want without paying attention to the risks. I can mention many other examples, but I think the ones above are enough.

Regarding corrupt people, I can't argue that, the government and laws are crap in CR. But I bet the US republican government and CEOs are even worst.

[mari1963]

Airport is becoming so ridiculous that soon no one will want to fly. This is so stupid! How will the airlines feel when there's no one there standing in the lines anymore? God Bless Amtrak. TAKE THE TRAIN !!!!

[SHEETPAN]

The whole world is corrupted by P.C. Which is a manifestation of modern liberal philosophy.

[NowBeWithThat]

She went to CR to get the knob in the back of her head that tightens her face turned a few more times.

It was too tight, so naturally Joan Rivers was a bit ... tense.

[wyodutch]

A nation of cowards... where insolent federal employees are making the flying public "safe".

[FauxNews]

The gate agent probably thought her documentation was fake because it listed her occupation as a comedienne.

[danno7176]

We need to hear the whole story here. The problem that Joan tried so hard to hide was that her BOARDING PASS had the name JOSEPH on it. Well DUH! Her very special pass port did NOT MATCH the boarding pass. I am sure that "Joe" started to rant as usual, stating that the gate attendant should "...call the pilot..." because he would know who she was. My hats off the the hard-working, sharp, alert gate keeper!! It is to bad that the 4 or 5 people before her didn't catch the mistake!