‘The View’: Joy Behar’s Representative Denies She’s Retiring

It would appear that news of Joy Behar‘s retirement from The View might not be accurate. The show’s longtime co-host was reportedly leaving the daytime talk show in 2022 when her contract expires. However, a representative for the 77-year-old comedian told Entertainment Tonight that this was simply not the case.

“This is not true,” the rep explained. “Joy was asked what happens at the end of her contract and as she herself made clear in the interview if she’s ‘as fabulous in [2022] as I am now,’ she will be in her seat at the table.” News of Behar’s retirement came when Variety published an excerpt from Ramin Setoodeh’s upcoming non-fiction book Ladies Who Punch: The Explosive Inside Story of ‘The View.’ The passage in question started with Behar referring to her contract, adding that she doesn’t “see myself staying for more [time]. That’s it! I could be wrong.”

However, as Behar’s own rep pointed out, the excerpt continued to read: “If I’m as fabulous in [2022] as I am now, I’ll think about [it].” However, the outlet also reported that several sources had also confirmed that Behar had been floating her exit from the show sometime in 2022.

Behar’s tenure on The View goes back to the show’s debut back in 1997. She was part of the original lineup of hosts, which also included Barbara Walters, Meredith Vieira, Star Jones and Debbie Matenopoulos. She was fired by ABC daytime executives back in 2013 after a decision to make the talk show less political. However, Behar was brought back in 2015 and has remained at the table ever since. Her current co-hosts include Whoopi Goldberg, Meghan McCain and Sunny Hostin.

On March 13, Behar took a hiatus from the show out of precaution over coronavirus. She announced her plans to the show’s in-studio crowd, explaining that she’s “in a higher risk group because of my age, but I’m perfectly healthy.”

“I don’t look my age, but I’m actually up there. The number makes me dizzy,” she added. Howeer, just 10 days later, Behar made her return to the show, albeit from the comfort of her home. The move has become increasingly common with talk shows these days, as more people continue to engage in social distancing to help slow the spread of coronavirus.

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