Hollywood reporter and reality TV star Melissa Rivers dishes on sun, sand, and scuba diving. By, Deborah Geiger
Having grown up in “the business” and achieving a reputation all her own, California girl Melissa Rivers is perfectly suited (no pun intended) for her current work as a Hollywood red-carpet host, executive producer of Fashion Police on E! Network, and frequent contributor to Access Hollywood Live. Her seemingly endless resume also includes stints at top-rated news organizations, authoring a book, and starring in more than a few reality TV shows. Recently, the single mother of one teamed up with her own famous mom, fashion police chief to the stars Joan Rivers, to star in Joan & Melissa: Joan Knows Best? on the WE network, a new reality show where—guess who?—moves into Melissa’s Pacific oceanfront home. Even with a considerable work schedule, the devoted mom and sometime beach babe does take the time to relax and enjoy the ride. Here, Rivers opens up to Ocean Home about her active oceanfront lifestyle, her favorite coastal destinations, and what makes her happy at the end of every day.
Where do you currently call home? L.A. IÂ’m a beach girl; always have been. When it was time to buy my own house, I wanted it to be close to the beach. IÂ’m one stoplight away. My whole backyard looks out to the beach.
Are there any beach activities or sports you enjoy? Yes! We surf, boogie board, play beach volley-ball, tennisÂ… My son Cooper, who is 10, did two years at surf camp.
What are some of your favorite coastal areas? Anything exotic or a must-see? For the last couple of years, weÂ’ve gone to Costa Rica. If you have the chance to go to Costa Rica, run. ItÂ’s an amazing place! Hawaii, Greece, Turkey, Corsica. South of France. Water in any permutation, IÂ’m happy. I learned to scuba dive in St. Croix.
Sounds amazing. I love scuba diving; the whole thing, the wall dives. The best stuff is 40 to 60 feet down. You see the most, the best colors. IÂ’ve done the Virgin Islands, the whole area. The deepest IÂ’ve done is 100 feet. IÂ’ve thought about getting my rescue certification.
With all of the water activities, any interesting wildlife sightings? In Santa Monica, I once saw a pod of dolphins out in the water. People were just standing there, watching, for about 20 minutes. It was amazing.
It seems like you are always working on multiple projects. Yes, theyÂ’re simultaneous! I grew up in L.A.; my parents moved out here when I was three. My mom lives in New York. I grew up in the business, but I still manage to keep certain things private.
You’re very close with your family. How do you balance everything? Balance? What’s that? [laughs] You know, when I’m driving home at night, and I’m coming out of the tunnel on Pacific Coast Highway, and I get that ocean view—it makes me happy every day.