Joy Behar is an accomplished comedian, writer and actress known for her quick wit on the talk show The View. She started her own television program, The Joy Behar Show, in 2009 on HLN.
Beginning as a teacher in New York, Behar instead moved to the next logical step—stand-up—before landing Barbara Walter's creation for ABC The View back in 1997. She has hosted her own segment, "Joy's Comedy Corner," that has opened the door to a variety of comedians, and she has written a couple of books such as Sheetzucacapoopoo: My Kind of Dog. Controversy has followed all of The View cast members, including Behar, who recently walked off the set ( along with castmate Whoopi Goldberg ) during an interview with Bill O'Reilly. Strong opinions are what make talking with Behar a joy!
Windy City Times: Hello, Joy. How was your recent trip to Chicago and going on the Oprah Winfrey Show?
Joy Behar: We had a lot of fun. I like Oprah very much. I found her to be very generous and sweet. All in all, it was a lovely experience. We enjoyed it.
WCT: I attended Whoopi Goldberg's show at the Venue that evening.
Joy Behar: How was that?
WCT: She covered lots of hot topics. She said that Elizabeth Hasselbeck has grown a lot from the show. Do you think that is true?
Joy Behar: Well, she has never been homophobic. She's pro-female but she is still a Republican.
WCT: Would you do stand-up like that again?
Joy Behar: You know what? I haven't done any stand-up since last July because I have two shows now. I have a lot on my plate. I certainly plan to go back to it when I have time.
WCT: How is your grueling schedule of doing both shows? Are you exhausted?
Joy Behar: No, I am not physically exhausted at all because it is just a full day's work. I do have a lot of stuff in my head all day long, a lot of topics. I have to read the papers all day and don't have a minute where I can zone out.
WCT: That must be a hard job sometimes.
Joy Behar: That's the thing; I have to really pay attention because I am in charge of the show. The View has topics that I have to be on top of, we have guests, I have to watch movies, do research. It's a lot of homework but I like it.
WCT: How does it feel to have your own show?
Joy Behar: I like having my own show because I can call the shots. There are things that I am interested in doing. When you are in charge of a show it's more fun in a way because you have fewer people telling you what to do. I like that.
WCT: Is there a guest that you would like to have that you haven't had yet?
Joy Behar: We are having Helen Thomas on today, which is an interesting booking because of the stuff she said about Israel. Tomorrow we are having Rosie O' Donnell on.
WCT: What is she promoting now?
Joy Behar: She has a show on OWN [ the Oprah Winfrey Network ] in the fall that she is promoting. Also, she is on that Lisa Kudrow show Who Do You Think You Are? I haven't seen her for a while because after she left The View; we lost touch a little bit but now she is back.
WCT: Good. Where do you see your show going in the future?
Joy Behar: I think that the show is getting better. It has gotten better even in the last two weeks and crisper. I see it becoming more interesting. I like to keep it smart and funny.
WCT: I want to ask you the question that Oprah started to but ran out of time. How has The View changed your life? You have been there since the beginning.
Joy Behar: Well, it has made me financially solvent—that is for sure. I bought a house. That's one thing. It allows me more access to things. More people know me so my career is better. In terms of my personal life it has not changed it that much. I still have the same boyfriend. My daughter and I are as close as ever. My friends are the same.
WCT: You have been so supportive of gay comics such as Mario Cantone and Alec Mapa. Why do you have such a strong connection to the gay community?
Joy Behar: The gay community was very good to me when I first started my comedy. I started in the village at a place called the Five Oaks near Christopher Street. They were always my big fans. They always understood what I was trying to do. That's one reason I feel great about them for that. I am very thankful, actually.
The other thing is that I have a soft spot for anyone that is the underdog. Gays in this country still don't have all the rights that they deserve and I don't think it's fair. I really go crazy when there is unfairness in the world and people are being mistreated in some way. It is in my personality to also speak out for minorities. Anybody that needs help then I am there for them.
WCT: Congratulations on the GLAAD Media Award that you won last year.
Joy Behar: Thank you. That was nice. I really appreciated it. It meant so much to me that award. I said at the time that I would rather have that than an Oscar and I meant it.
WCT: That's really nice to say…
Joy Behar: Of course, no one is offering me an Oscar so I guess it was easy to say. [ Laughs ] I am kidding but I am serious about that. I prefer an award that says I am doing something good in the world other than having a great performance.
WCT: Do you want to do more movies?
Joy Behar: I have a movie right now; [ even though ] it is a very small part but I am in all the trailers. It is called Hall Pass. It is the Farelly Brothers movie. It is coming out Feb. 25. I don't have a lot of time for acting but I love to do it. If I didn't have two shows and only had one then I would do something else.
WCT: Have you had a guest on The View who was a special one for you?
Joy Behar: Catherine Deneuve. I love French and British Cinema. I like foreign films and she is on the top of my list. When she came there I was like, "Whoa!" In fact I was stalking her so much that she asked me if I was gay! She said, "Are you lesbian?" I said, "Not really but I still love you."
WCT: I want to be the gay Barbara Walters. How do I make that happen?
Joy Behar: [ Laughs ] Well, you have to start small. She started as a small station. She was a writer when she was young at the Today Show and then they put her on the air one day and she kept going. You have to have a break but I think a small market is where you start.
WCT: You have to come back to Chicago soon.
Joy Behar: I love Chicago. When we were there we said, " We would rather live in Chicago with all of its miserable weather than live in Los Angeles."
For more Joy-ful antics see her weekdays on ABC and HLN. For up to date listings and information visit theview.abc.go.com Nand joybehar.blogs.cnn.com .
