The news recently emerged that longtime cohost of “The View,” Joy Behar, can be taking a while away from the show. The rumor mill then ran rampant with theories; with many pondering she was either being phased out or working up to go away the show. Now, the 83-year-old host is making it clear that her time away isn’t a hiatus, nor an indication of something greater.
During a May 2026 broadcast of “The View,” Behar took the chance to elucidate why fans won’t see her on the series for a few weeks. The talk show legend began, “There’s been quite a lot of media attention on me recently because I’m taking off the hiatus.”
After that, Behar rebuffed reports that she was occurring hiatus, noting that she’s working while she’s away and that a hiatus often means a break. In response to her, “I even have a planned trip overseas next week to work on my play, ‘My First EX Husband,’ in London.”
Joy Behar Says She’ll Miss The Viewers The Most
Behar continued her explanation for her impending absence from “The View.” First, she noted that her upcoming play isn’t her first and that she’s “written a bunch of plays,” before mentioning one other one, “Bonkers within the Boroughs.”
After that, the comedian jokingly asked her cohosts in the event that they would miss her during her non-hiatus. Naturally, they said they’d before she stated, “Well, I’ll miss you too, and I’ll all the time miss the audience. That’s my thing.”
As they rolled to the show’s end credits, Behar reaffirmed that she would return in two weeks.
Some Fans Think There’s More To The Story
After Behar’s comments were shared on “The View” social media channels, fans of the hit ABC show began weighing in. Naturally, the vast majority of the comments were positive, but just a few thought Behar’s upcoming two-week absence was mandated.
One person said on X, “You might be missed, but go kill it in London.” One other “View” fan said, “She is such an icon and inspo…to be over 80 and doing so many recent things…it truly proves you’re never too old for ANYTHING on this life!!!”
Another person reacted, “Okay, phew bc I used to be behind on watching the show, and I’m like, what did I miss! Why is Joy leaving? Lol.” After that, one other social media user chimmed in, “It’s just Fox faux news spreading tabloid crap as usual.”
Regarding positive comments, an Instagram user wrote, “Joy… All of us love you very much. You might be unbelievable. You’re fabulous. You might be an enormous bundle of joy for all of us! We love you we love you. We love you.”
Lastly, a special person expressed doubt about her reasoning. They said, “Right, Behar, this has nothing to do with the network telling you to take a break from the show due to your wacky, embarrassing rantings. Sure.”
‘The View’ Is On A Rankings High
“The View” is currently in its twenty ninth season on ABC. Nevertheless, despite being on the air for therefore long, the series shows no sign of slowing down. In response to The Wrap, the Behar co-hosted show recently had its strongest first-quarter rankings in five years.
The daytime talk show averaged 2.78 million viewers and a powerful 1.86 rating in households. That’s not all; it also achieved a five-year rankings high amongst women aged 25 to 54, with 225,000 eyeballs, in addition to amongst women aged 18 to 49. The latter of the 2 demographics delivered 182,000 million viewers.
Notably, the show delivered substantial year-over-year increases across several of its most vital demographics, with women 18 to 49 seeing the most important boost, up 14%. Moreover, in response to Variety, the season 29 premiere was the show’s strongest since 2020, with 2.602 million viewers.
Who Will Fill In For Joy Behar
Behar announced her upcoming absences from “The View” on the show’s accompanying podcast, “Behind the Table.” During it, the show’s executive producer, Brian Teta, discussed how her absence might be handled regarding guest cohosts.
One in every of the names mentioned was comedian Sheryl Underwood, who has guest-hosted the show before. Moreover, Kara Swisher will host for a few days. Fans will even see more of Ana Navarro, who typically only hosts on Mondays and Fridays.