Joy Behar was one of the original co-hosts of “The View” when it premiered back in 1997, and she still co-hosts it to this day. However, fans may be surprised to learn that there was one time when she was technically fired by Barbara Walters for making one major mistake.
Ed Begley Jr, Joy Behar and Barbara Walters form supergroup pic.twitter.com/sB7uFDmuWn
— John F Kensil (@johnkensil) April 7, 2018
Behar Recalls Being Fired By Walters
In the special “Behind the Table: A View Reunion,” which commemorates the 25 years the ABC talk show has been on the air, Behar, 79, recalled how Walters, 92, responded to her accidentally leaking the news that Rosie O’Donnell would be joining “The View” in 2006.
“Phone rings. ‘Hello, Joy? It’s Barbara,'” Behar told moderator Meredith Vieira, and panelists Star Jones and Debbie Matenopoulous. “I said, ‘Oh hi, Barbara!'”
People Magazine reported that Behar proceeded to recall Walters telling her, “I just got a call from Entertainment Tonight, and guess what they said? They said, ‘Oh, and Rosie O’Donnell’s coming on the show.’ And guess who told them?”
“Meredith Vieira?” Behar said that she suggested in response, causing Vieira, 68, Jones, 60, and Matenopoulous, 47, to break into laughter.
“Did you really? What?!” Vieira said in disbelief.
“She threw you under the bus!” Matenopoulous stated as Vieira pretended to throw a drink at Behar.
“I said, ‘Meredith Vieira?'” Behar continued. “[Walters] said, ‘No, you! Joy Behar did that. And I want you to know that I’m not renewing your contract.'”
Related: Joy Behar Falls Off Her Chair In Bizarre Moment On ‘The View’
Behar Tries To Save Herself
Behar recalled being stunned by Walter’s reaction, and she quickly tried to save herself.
“I said, ‘Barbara, it was just a mistake. It was an honest mistake,'” Behar said, remembering that she then joked, “You know how I am when I’m shopping!”
Walters, however, was not having any of it.
“‘You’re a loose cannon, and I’m not renewing your contract,'” Walters reportedly told Behar, who then said, “Barbara, come on! It’s like, no big deal here.”
Walters simply yelled “no!” and hung up the phone.
“For a minute, I was stunned,” Behar said. “I was like, ‘Really? For that?'”
Walters ultimately cooled down and unfortunately decided not to fire Behar. To this day, Behar has a daily platform to spew her liberal propaganda to millions of viewers.
Related: Joy Behar Calls On Women To Use ‘Sex Strikes’ To Protest Potential Overturn Of Roe V. Wade
‘The View’ Special
This special, which runs 30 minutes and can be found on Hulu, was filmed in the Essex House hotel room in New York City where the women auditioned for “The View” 25 years ago.
“The four women Barbara Walters chose to join her at the Hot Topics table in 1997 reunite for a candid conversation about the talk show that has been making headlines since Walters first uttered the phrase, ‘I had this idea for a show,'” reads a press release for the special.
“They look back on what it was like to work with the legendary broadcaster, discuss some of their famous exits from the show and share their biggest regrets and the moments that bonded them behind the scenes,” the press release continued.
While Walters initially envisioned “The View” as a show that features diverse political opinions, it is sadly now shamelessly and openly liberal. If only she’d stuck to her guns, and fired Behar all those years ago, the show would probably be far better off now!
More About:Celebrity Entertainment TellMeNow