Joy Behar Says Barbara Walters ‘Regretted’ Firing Her from The View Twice

Joy Behar is reflecting on Barbara Walters firing her from The View — not once, but twice.

During her appearance on the Sept. 10 episode of Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, Behar, 82, was asked to reflect on her former co-hosts and, when Walters came up, she revealed the late journalist “regretted” firing her from the talk show.

“Well, Barbara fired me at one point — she fired me twice, actually,” Behar recalled. “So one of the times when she fired me it was just because they decided to fire me. Had something to do with a Democrat and a Republican. That’s what they told me.”

“She sacked me, right? So we’re planning to tell the story on the air and during the commercial break she says to me, ‘Tell them you changed your mind,'” she continued. “I said, ‘Barbara, you just fired me. How am I supposed to change my mind?’ She regretted it, that’s why.”

Behar was one of the original co-hosts when The View, which was created by Walters, premiered in 1997. She remained on the show until 2013.

After a two-year absence, Behar rejoined The View in 2015 and has remained a co-host ever since.

When Andy Cohen pointed out that the network did ultimately bring her back, Behar set the record straight.

“They didn’t just bring me back, okay, they begged me to come back,” she said. “Let’s be clear here.”

In 2022, Behar revealed a time in which Walters nearly fired her for accidentally leaking the news that Rosie O’Donnell was joining The View.

During Behind the Table: A View Reunion, Behar detailed how Walters called her and confronted her over the issue, with 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?'”

Behar said she jokingly answered Meredith Vieira’s name, but Walters wasn’t playing around.

“I said, ‘Meredith Vieira?'” Behar recalled. “[Walters] said, ‘No, you! Joy Behar did that. And I want you to know that I’m not renewing your contract.'”

Behar admitted she was shocked by Walters’ response and defended her actions.

“I said, ‘Barbara, it was just a mistake. It was an honest mistake,'” she said, before joking, “You know how I am when I’m shopping!”

Behar said Walters wasn’t buying it, and called her a “loose cannon” and hung up the phone on her.

Walters died in 2022 at the age of 93.

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The View airs weekdays (11 a.m. ET) on ABC.