Kathy Griffin Will Replace Joan Rivers on ‘Fashion Police’

Following the death of Joan Rivers, E! Network has decided to continue with her hit talk show Fashion Police after receiving daughter Melissa Rivers' blessing. And it appears they've already found a replacement for the spunky host.

According to show insiders, comedienne Kathy Griffin is currently negotiating a deal to take over as moderator when it returns in 2015.

"Kathy has been told if she wants the gig she can have it because Melissa wanted someone who her mother would have approved of," a source told the MailOnline. "Kathy will probably take the position but they are still working out the deal."

The report comes as a bit of a surprise after Kathy denied rumors last week she was gunning for Joan's job.

“It’s disgusting. It’s not true," the famous red-head told Larry King. "And I know that stuff shouldn’t bother me at this stage of my career — you know, I thought I’d heard it all, but that one hurts, because it’s as far from the truth as you can get.”

There's no doubt, however, that Kathy is one of Joan's biggest fans. "[She] adored and admired Joan," revealed a close family friend. "Not only did Joan mentor Kathy, they were really close friends. Kathy is heartbroken that she is gone.”

The 53-year-old added on Larry King Now, “My mission that I’ve assigned to myself is to really shine a light on the part of her legacy that people may not be aware of."

Related: Melissa Rivers Speaks Out for First Time Since Mother Joan Rivers' Funeral

Although E! confirmed the return of Fashion Police in time for Golden Globes coverage in January, the futures of the show's other co-hosts — Giuliana Rancic, Kelly Osbourne and George Kotsiopoulos — are unknown.

Giuliana recently told ABC News she had mixed feelings about returning without the 81-year-old. "A part of me is like Joan would want Melissa and us and the team to go on and I know she would, but it's just a matter of can there be a show without Joan? I don't know."

The MailOnline was the first to report Kathy's Fashion Police negotiations.