Why Joy Behar Got Fired From Good Morning America

News of Joy Behar's sudden departure from "The View" came as a shock to millions of television viewers in 2013. As previously reported by Reuters, the opinionated host and comedian decided to end her 16-year tenure on the show to focus on her stand-up and other solo projects. Speaking to People years later, however, Behar said that leaving the show "was not 100 percent" her choice and that she was actually terminated. "Somebody wanted me gone," she said. "The way I heard it, ... they got rid of a Republican so they wanted to get rid of a Democrat. That's not the first time I've been fired for my politics. So I wasn't shocked at that analysis."

Behar returned as a permanent host of "The View" in 2015 during its 19th season. Reflecting on her brief departure with Time, Behar said she had no qualms about being let go from the program. "I am glad to be fired," she said at the time. "I basically was sick of the show at that point for some reason, I don't even remember why." She even said she was "happy" about her termination since her original co-hosts — including the late Barbara Walters and Meredith Vieira — had already left the show. This isn't the first time that the television personality has opened up about being fired from a job. Previously, Behar revealed that she was also axed from "Good Morning America" when she was still starting out in the business many years ago... not as a host, but as a receptionist.

Prior to becoming a successful talk show host and comedian, Joy Behar worked at ABC's "Good Morning America" as a receptionist in the early '80s. In an interview with HuffPost, Behar said it was at her job at "GMA" that she got her start in comedy after being discovered by the late Steve Allen. "First of all, I was a high school English teacher. But I wanted to get into television production, and the only way you get into a show is to start somewhere. So I started as a receptionist," she explained. "And then I was offered a producer's job, [but] I wasn't interested." A couple of years after she was hired, Behar said she was fired due to poor performance. While she was admittedly devastated, the "The Joy Behar Show" host said she already saw it coming. "I actually expected it," she said. "I wasn't really doing the job. ... So they fired me."

Previously on "The View," Behar also reflected on her time working as a receptionist at "GMA" and getting the axe while chatting with actor Kumail Nanjiani about his new Hulu series. "So, let's talk about 'Welcome to Chippendales,'" Behar said. "First of all, I'd like to say that when I was fired from 'Good Morning America' years ago — I was the worst receptionist they've ever had!" She added that after her termination, "GMA" took her to see Chippendales as a goodbye present. "Yeah, it was a great day all around," Behar said.

In 2022, Joy Behar also recalled a time when her former "The View" co-star Barbara Walters almost fired her for accidentally leaking that Rosie O'Donnell would be joining their talk show in 2016. On Hulu's "Behind the Table: A View Reunion" special," per People, Behar recalled being "stunned" when she got the call from Walters regarding the news. "Phone rings. 'Hello, Joy? It's Barbara.' I said, 'Oh hi, Barbara!' [She said], '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?'" As a joke, Behar answered Meredith Vieira. [Walters] said, "'No, you! Joy Behar did that. And I want you to know that I'm not renewing your contract.'"

Behar said she immediately apologized and explained herself to Walters. "I said, 'Barbara, it was an honest mistake." But Walters would not hear her out, telling Behar that she was a "loose cannon" and that she was not renewing her contract. "I was stunned," Behar recalled her disbelief. "I was like, 'Really? For that?'" Fortunately, the two eventually sorted things out, and Walters allowed her to stay. To date, Joy Behar remains a staple on "The View" and will be for the next years to come. "I'll be here for a while," she promised viewers in 2022. "I'm not going anywhere."