Barbara Walters Had One Regret Over Her Behind The Scenes Drama With Joy Behar On The View
Among the many faces that have sat at the Hot Topics Table on "The View," Barbara Walters and Joy Behar are the two most synonymous hosts. Walters created the beloved daytime talk show in 1997, with Behar acting as one of the original co-hosts to take the stage with the prominent ABC journalist. However, the two TV legends seemingly had a contentious relationship at times. According to Behar, there were a couple of instances where she was "sacked" because of it.
Opening up about her history with Walters — who passed away in December 2022 — on "Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen" in September 2025, Behar revealed that her co-panelist fired her two times. Although she is reportedly known for being a nightmare behind the scenes, one instance when Behar was fired apparently had to do with her politics. She told Cohen that it "had something to do with a Democrat and a Republican." That seemed to be referring to Behar's 2013 departure from the show, which she talked about with People in 2017, telling the magazine: "The way I heard it, ... they got rid of a Republican so they wanted to get rid of a Democrat."
However, Behar said on "WWHL" that Walters quickly "regretted" her decision to get rid of the TV personality. "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,'" Behar revealed with a chuckle. "I said, 'Barbara, you just fired me, how am I supposed to change my mind?'" Behar asserted that the network "begged me to come back." Per People, after sporadically guest hosting, she took an official place on the show again in 2015.
Joy Behar was also let go by Barbara Walters in 2006
That wasn't the first time Barbara Walters fired Joy Behar. According to the comedian, Walters threatened Behar's contract in 2006 after she accidentally spilled the beans on Rosie O'Donnell's "View" debut. In the 2022 ABC News special, "Behind the Table: A View Reunion," Behar said that Walters called her to discuss her loose lips. "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?" Walters said, according to Behar, who quipped in response: "Meredith Vieira?" (via People). But Walters wasn't joking around, as she told Behar, who was the real culprit of the incident: "And I want you to know that I'm not renewing your contract." That so-called firing didn't seem to last long, however.
Even though her residency on "The View" was touch-and-go at times, Behar became a mainstay on the daytime program. However, she never would have thought she would join forces with Walters. Behar revealed on "Good Morning America" in 2025 that the first time she crossed paths with the "20/20" host was at one of Milton Berle's birthday parties in the '90s, where she was doing stand-up. According to Behar's husband, Walters was the only one in the room not laughing. "And I said, 'Oh, well, I'm not going to work with her ... I'll never work with Barbara Walters, so what if she wasn't laughing?'" Behar said. Alas, she made a good impression on Walters after all, because she later was contacted about being part of the show for which she is most known.