Executives for the popular daytime talk show, “The View,” are reportedly pushing hard for co-host Joy Behar to step down from her position on the program as she is currently off-air recovering from an injury sustained on the set. Behar, 84, is in her third consecutive week of being off from the program after she allegedly dislocated her shoulder after she “caught a heel backstage.”
Fellow co-host Whoopi Goldberg announced at the top of the show on October 20 that Behar was still “out healing up.” However, new reports are emerging that say staff members are “increasingly worried about her falling” and think it’s time for her to quit the show. They also revealed that Behar “needs staff to guide her around backstage.”
An insider close to the situation that works on the program said, “It’s become a dangerous situation, and nobody wants to be responsible if something happens.” Reports also say that executives would prefer Joy step away from “The View” on her own terms rather than due to suffering another injury. A second insider confirmed, saying “They want Joy to retire gracefully.”
“Give her a huge farewell, celebrate her extraordinary career and let her leave with dignity,” the second insider said, according to The Independent via Yahoo News. However, “Joy refuses to even consider it” because she loves being a moderator on the program, which she has been on since it first started back in 1997.
The insider then said, “Joy isn’t going anywhere voluntarily,” adding, “She still thinks she can do the job, and nobody has the courage to tell her it’s time to leave.” The second source claimed there have been a number of conversations about reducing Behar’s workload on the show, with the host possibly moving to a part-time schedule after many years of appearing on the program four days a week.
The same source said, “Barbara Walters was 84 when she left The View after going part-time.” Walters ended her run on the program in May 2014, eight years before her passing in December 2022 at the age of 93. The news comes after co-host Sunny Hostin, 57, sat in the presenter’s chair for the October 1 episode while Whoopi Goldberg was filming a movie for Netflix.
She said, “So, Whoopi is still out filming a movie, and, unfortunately, our dear friend Joy dislocated her shoulder.” The audience gasped, prompting Sunny to reply, “Yeah, so she’s recovering and will be back soon.” She then quipped, “So, the two OGs are out today. So, apparently, the job went to the next-oldest, or let’s say, seasoned co-host. I like seasoned better.”
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Representatives for Behar previously told the media, “Joy caught a heel backstage but is on the mend and should be back on the show mid next week. Her shoulder wasn’t broken and is back in place, and she is excited to be back at the table as quickly as possible.” Behar took time off last November after she dropped an iPad on her foot and broke a toe.