Joy Behar Reveals Her Real Name and How She Was Given Her Nickname in ‘Infancy’

Joy Behar is sharing how she came to be known by her nickname.

During the Tuesday, Feb. 3, episode of The View, Behar’s cohost Whoopi Goldberg told her that she “heard a rumor that someone in the audience is naming their baby after you.”

“I heard that too, as a middle name,” Behar said, as the camera panned to a pregnant woman in the audience. “You have to know that Joy is a noun, so it always comes up in Christmas and all sorts of ways. Just remember that. It’s confusing sometimes.”

Behar, 83, went on to say that she told the woman, “My real name is Josephine Victoria, but my grandfather called me Joy, my Italian grandfather.”

“From infancy, I was always known as Joy,” she said. “As a middle name, I think it’s a really good choice.”

Tuesday’s episode marked Behar’s return to The View after missing six consecutive episodes (two were pre-scheduled absences, as Behar usually has Mondays off, while Goldberg sits out during the Friday telecasts). She last appeared on the Jan. 23 broadcast.

Last week, Goldberg, 70, addressed Behar’s absence on the show, though she didn’t get into specifics.

“We want to let you know Joy is out, she’s not feeling well, so we want her to feel better and get her behind back here,” she said.

The Emmy winner has not yet addressed her absence.

Behar is one of the original members of The View, joining as a co-host for its 1997 debut. She left the gig in 2013, but returned in 2015 and has remained a fixture of the show ever since.

The View airs weekdays at 11 a.m. ET on ABC.