Joy Behar FAQs

Who is Joy Behar?

Answer: Joy Behar is most famously known as a liberal talk show co-host on "The View."

Born Josephine Occhiuto in New York, she goes by the nickname "Joy," and Behar is the last name of her first husband, Joseph Behar, whom she divorced in 1981. They share one child, Eve Behar.

She married school teacher Steve Janowitz in 2011.

What did Joy Behar do before joining "The View"?

Answer: Joy Behar earned a master’s degree in English education, and her first career was teaching English to high school students. During her time as a teacher, she was outspoken about her views. After a near-death experience in 1979, when she suffered an ectopic pregnancy, Behar gave up teaching to take a job as a receptionist at ABC’s "Good Morning America," with aspirations of working in show business.

Behar was later fired from GMA and went on to pursue her stand-up comedy career seriously. She appeared in Lorne Michaels’ "The New Show" in 1984 and participated in HBO’s "One Night Stand" in 1989.

Behar’s liberal voice emerged during her time as a stand-up comedian, and she even landed gigs covering elections and Democratic conventions for Comedy Central. Behar hosted a call-in radio show on WABC in the early 1990s, where she provided a liberal voice to a mostly conservative programming lineup.

When did Joy Behar start co-hosting "The View"?

Answer: Behar first co-hosted "The View" from 1997 through 2013. In 2009, it was announced that Behar would host a primetime show on CNN’s sister network, HLN, while remaining on "The View." Behar returned to ”The View” in 2015.

"The Joy Behar Show" was created after Behar substituted for CNN host Larry King on a regular basis. The show was not renewed after over 500 episodes spanning two years. She left "The View" for a few years to focus on other shows.

She also hosted short-lived solo shows on Current TV and has appeared on a variety of programs, including "Late Night with David Letterman," "Hollywood Squares," "The Rosie O’Donnell Show," "Late Night with Conan O’Brien," "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon," "Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List," "The Oprah Winfrey Show" and "Jimmy Kimmel Live!"

Behar is an outspoken critic of President Donald Trump.

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