Joan Rivers Would Be Sad No One Lives in Her Old N.Y.C. Apartment, Says Daughter Melissa (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Melissa and Joan Rivers, Joan River’s N.Y.C. Apartment.Photo:Noam Galai/WireImage; Dolly Lenz Real Estate

Noam Galai/WireImage; Dolly Lenz Real Estate

Melissa Riversis opening up about what she thinks her motherJoan Rivers' reaction would be to hericonic New York City apartmentgoing uninhabited for so long.

In an exclusive conversation with PEOPLE, Melissa, 55, says that she thinks her comedian mother, whodiedat the age of 81 in 2014, would be sad that no one is occupying her former home.

“That apartment was so special and filled with such warmth, laughter and happiness that it [would] make her really sad. I think she would be,” Melissa says.

Melissa said that the woman has seen the lights on in the home only “a dozen times” since Joan’s death.

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Melissa Rivers, Joan Rivers.Noam Galai/WireImage

Located just steps away from Fifth Avenue, Joan’s former home features views of Central Park and the surrounding skyline. The space was designed in the neo-French Classic style and offers four bedrooms, five bathrooms, two terraces, five wood-burning fireplaces and a ballroom.

The property served as the late comedian’s home for 28 years before her death, and, according to property records, it sold in 2015 for $24 million, before it was later put back on the market in 2021 for $38 million. The home then received a price cut and was re-listed for $34.5 million in June 2023.

Earlier this month, theapartment was officially removed from the marketafter years of trying to find a buyer.

Melissa Rivers, Joan Rivers.D Dipasupil/FilmMagic

When asked if she has any interest in purchasing the home for herself, Melissa candidly tells PEOPLE that she does not see herself living there in the future.

“Everyone keeps asking me, am I going to buy it back? I’m like, why would I?” she explains. “It’ll never be the same place it was.”

While Joan loved the home dearly, she also admitted that she believed it to be haunted.

During anepisode ofCelebrity Ghost Storiesin 2009, she revealed she brought in a voodoo priestess to help her deal with a ghost in the house after previously saying she didn’t believe in paranormal activity. She said a ghost named Mrs. Spencer, who was a former resident and the late niece of financier J.P Morgan, haunts new residents.

source: people.com