CLEVELAND, Ohio – Two women held hostage for a decade on Seymour Avenue want an apology from Joan Rivers for her comments Tuesday that compared her reality show with her daughter to their captivity. 
 
 On The Today Show, Rivers talked with hosts about the WEtv series “Joan and Melissa: Joan Knows Best?’’ They discussed their living arrangements. 
 
 “Those women in the basement in Cleveland had more room,’’ Rivers said. 
 
 The comment prompted a sharp response from the attorneys of Gina DeJesus and Amanda Berry, who escaped last year from the home where Ariel Castro tortured them. 
 
 “Our clients have become aware of Joan Rivers’ unfortunate comparison of living in her daughter’s guest room to their captivity,’’ said a statement from attorneys James Wooley and Heather Kimmel. 
 
 “We understand that Ms. Rivers is a comedienne; however, the idea that a celebrity would say something this hurtful, on national television, no less, is beyond shocking and disappointing. 
 
 "Our clients are strong, private women who have endured unwanted and often painful media attention for quite some time. They now have to endure this, which is a new low, and we believe a sincere apology is warranted.’’ 
 
 An attorney for Michelle Knight, the third woman held captive, could not be reached today. 
 
 Rivers’ publicist, Judy Katz, and a publicist for WEtv also could not be reached for comment Wednesday afternoon. 
 
 The timing comes nearly a year after the three women escaped the home of Ariel Castro on Seymour Avenue where they were held for about a decade. Castro later pleaded guilty to a mountain of charges and was sentenced to life in prison, plus 1,000 years. Within weeks of his sentence, he committed suicide. 

 CLEVELAND (AP) — Attorneys for two women held in a Cleveland home and abused for a decade say Joan Rivers should apologize for comparing living in her daughter's guest room with the captivity they experienced. 
 
 FILE - This May 7, 2013, file photo, shows a house where three women, Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight, who went missing separately about a decade ago, escaped from captivity in Cleveland.... (Associated Press) 
 
 FILE - In this April 22, 2013 file photo, Television personalities Joan Rivers, left, and daughter Melissa Rivers attend the 2013 Matrix New York Women in Communications Awards at the Waldorf-Astoria... (Associated Press) 
 
 Rivers and her daughter were discussing their reality show Tuesday on NBC's "Today" show when she complained about her living arrangements, saying, "Those women in the basement in Cleveland had more space." 
 
 A Wednesday statement from attorneys for Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus calls Rivers' remark hurtful and shocking. The attorneys say the women have endured painful media attention and the comment is "a new low" that warrants an apology. 
 
 Rivers' publicist hasn't responded to messages seeking comment. 
 
 Berry, DeJesus and a third woman, Michelle Knight, escaped last year. Their kidnapper, Ariel Castro, hanged himself in prison.
– The women freed almost a year ago after a decade of captivity in a Cleveland home aren't happy about Joan Rivers joking about their ordeal. Lawyers for two of the women say Rivers should apologize for saying, "Those women in the basement in Cleveland had more space" when talking about reality show living arrangements on the Today show yesterday, the Plain Dealer reports. The attorneys for Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus say it is "shocking and disappointing" that Rivers would "say something this hurtful on national television." "Our clients are strong, private women who have endured unwanted and often painful media attention for quite some time," the lawyers say in a statement. "They now have to endure this, which is a new low, and we believe a sincere apology is warranted." A lawyer for the third captive, Michelle Knight, could not be reached, and Rivers' publicist has declined to comment, the AP reports. The women's kidnapper, Ariel Castro, hanged himself in prison last year just a few weeks into his life-plus-1,000 years sentence.