Why was Joy Behar fired from ‘The View?’

There’s no The View without Joy Behar. The ABC staple has been with the program from the very start, but we almost welcomed a future without Behar as a permanent fixture on the series.

Behar’s been with The View since the series launched in 1997, initially as an occasional host, before permanently shifting to co-host. That happened within a few years, so by the time the 2000s and 2010s rolled around, she and the series were inextricably linked. Which made it all the more surprising when, in March of 2013, Behar announced her impending departure from the show. She gave several reasons for leaving, most notably that she wanted to pursue other projects, but a recent comment from Sunny Hostin threw that narrative into doubt.

For years, most of The View audience has assumed that Behar briefly departed the show by choice. But Hostin’s mention of Behar’s 2013 firing changes the optics immensely, and fans have questions. Behar is absolutely vital to the View formula, so just what inspired ABC to let her go?

Do we know what urged ABC to fire Joy Behar from The View?

Behar’s response to Hostin’s query about her 2013 firing didn’t provide much in the way of answers, but it did seemingly confirm that she was unwillingly let go from the show. For years, she’s kept up appearances by discussing the departure like it was her choice, but that single exchange, paired with a 2022 revelation, is throwing everything into doubt.

Suddenly, Behar’s discussion of “the right time” and her neglected comedy sound like careful cover-ups for a massive mistake on ABC’s part. It seems she was actually fired from the program in 2013, before ABC realized the error of its ways and invited her back. She never truly left the series behind, after all — Behar left her position as co-host in August of 2013, but she returned over the next several years as a semi-frequent guest host. Then, in August of 2015, it was announced that she’d be returning as a regular co-host.

Clearly ABC realized its mistake eventually, but the actual reason behind that initial firing is still unclear. Behar largely dodged the question when asked about it in an early September episode, simply joking that she’s on her “fifth act” at this point. But, while she didn’t overly discuss the firing itself, Behar also didn’t challenge the assertion that she’d been fired. That aligns with a brief 2022 discussion she had on the matter, in which she revealed she was “glad to be fired.” Chatting with Time, Behar explained “I basically was sick of the show at that point for some reason, I don’t even remember why.”

We may not know why she was let go, but least we know Behar won’t be leaving again anytime soon. ABC clearly learned its lesson, and won’t be making the same mistake twice, and Behar made it clear that she’s not eyeing an exit just yet. She informed her fellow View hosts that she’d miss them far more than the job if she ever left, indicating that whenever she does leave the show next, it’ll be on her terms.