Joy Behar is not retiring from 'The View' in 2022, iconic talk show host's representative debunks rumors
Contrary to a report that claimed Joy Behar was planning to retire from 'The View', the iconic talk show's representative has denied such rumors.
On Wednesday, April 8, Variety published an excerpt from the paperback edition of journalist Ramin Setoodeh's book 'Ladies Who Punch: The Explosive Inside Story of The View,' where Behar says in an interview that she has a "three-year contract" with 'The View'.
"But that doesn’t mean I can’t leave if I want to, because they can’t really do anything to me at this point. I don’t see myself staying for more [time]. That’s it!"
Behar added that while there is a chance she might choose to stay on, it seems unlikely at this point.
"I could be wrong. If I’m as fabulous in [2022] as I am now, I’ll think about. But the chances of that happening…" she paused. "You know, time marches on. I’m not a kid."
However, Behar's spokesperson said, "This is not true." "Joy was asked what happens at the end of her contract and as she herself made clear in the interview, if she’s 'as fabulous in [2022] as I am now,' she will be in her seat at the table," Behar's spokesperson told ET.
The Democrat firebrand has been on 'The View' longer than any other co-host, even longer than the show's creator Barbara Walters, who retired in 2014 at the age of 84, per the report.
Behar was part of the original team of co-hosts when the daytime talk show premiered in August 1997. Aside from Walters, she has shared the iconic table with the likes of Meredith Vieira, Star Jones, and Debbie Matenopoulos — all of whom left the show at some point.
In 2013, Behar was fired from 'The View' when ABC executives were trying to make the show less political. However, she continued to appear on the show as a guest.
She finally returned to the show full-time two years later and has remained a co-host ever since.
On March 13, Behar revealed she was taking a sabbatical from 'The View' to self-isolate amid the coronavirus pandemic.
“I’m in a higher-risk group because of my age, but I’m perfectly healthy. I’m doing this myself. Luckily I don’t have to worry about childcare and things like that and also, I have enough money to take off some time,” she said at the time.
But she returned to the show once again via satellite after her co-hosts Whoopi Goldberg, Meghan McCain, and Sunny Hostin started working remotely.
‘The View’ is one of the last remaining daytime talkshows that continues to air new episodes. Shows like ‘The Wendy Williams Show’, ‘The Kelly Clarkson Show’, ‘The Tamron Hall Show’, and ‘Live with Kelly and Ryan’, have paused production in wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
'The View' airs every day at 2 pm ET on ABC.
Meanwhile, the paperback edition of 'Ladies Who Punch' is slated to release next week from St Martin’s Press.