Joy Behar facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Joy Behar
Behar in 2010
Born	Josephine Victoria Occhiuto (1942-10-07) October 7, 1942 (age 82) New York City, U.S.
Education	Queens College (BA) Stony Brook University (MA)
Occupation	Comedian, television host, actress
Years active	1984–present
Known for	The View co-host (1997–2013, 2015–present)
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Joe Behar ​ ​ (m. 1965; div. 1981)​ Steve Janowitz ​ (m. 2011)​
Children	1

Joy Behar (born October 7, 1942) is an American comedian, TV host, and actress. She is best known for being a co-host on the popular talk show The View. She has been on the show since it first started.

Joy Behar has also hosted her own TV shows. These include The Joy Behar Show on HLN and Joy Behar: Say Anything! on Current TV. She even had a late-night show called Late Night Joy on TLC. In 2009, she won a Daytime Emmy Award for her work on The View.

Early Life and Education

Joy Behar was born Josephine Victoria Occhiuto in 1942. She grew up in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York. Her family was of Italian descent. Her mother, Rose, worked as a seamstress. Her father, Gino, was a truck driver for Coca-Cola.

Joy went to Queens College and earned a degree in sociology in 1964. Later, she got a master's degree in English education from Stony Brook University in 1966. For several years, she taught English at Lindenhurst Senior High School on Long Island. She also studied acting at the HB Studio.

Joy Behar's Career Journey

Starting in Show Business

Joy Behar began her career in the early 1980s. She worked as a receptionist and then a producer for Good Morning America. She also started performing as a stand-up comedian.

She appeared on TV shows like Good Morning America and The New Show. In 1987, she hosted a show called Way Off Broadway. She also had small roles in movies like Cookie and Manhattan Murder Mystery. Joy also hosted a talk show on WABC radio.

Her Time on The View

The View's panel (left–right Whoopi Goldberg, Barbara Walters, Behar, Sherri Shepherd, and Elisabeth Hasselbeck) interview U.S. President Barack Obama on July 29, 2010

In 1997, Joy Behar became one of the first hosts of The View. This daytime talk show was created by Barbara Walters. At first, Joy only filled in when Barbara was away. But soon, she became a permanent co-host. She sometimes hosted a part of the show called "Joy's Comedy Corner." Here, she showed off both famous and new comedians.

In 2009, Joy and the other hosts of The View won a Daytime Emmy Award. They won for Outstanding Talk Show Host. This was a big achievement after many years of nominations.

Joy announced she would leave The View in 2013. She felt it was the right time to try new things. She wanted to write a play and do more stand-up comedy. Her last show was on August 9, 2013. The show celebrated her time there with a special tribute.

However, Joy returned to The View as a regular co-host in 2015. She said she was happy to be "back home." She was excited to share her opinions on current events again.

In 2018, Joy Behar made an on-air apology. She had made a comment about someone's religious beliefs. She later said she was "raised to respect everyone's religious faith" and that she "fell short of that." She apologized sincerely for what she said.

Hosting Her Own Shows

Joy Behar also hosted her own news and talk show. It was called The Joy Behar Show and aired on HLN from 2009 to 2011. She worked on this show while still co-hosting The View. Even though it was popular, HLN decided to end the show after two years.

In 2012, Joy started another talk show called Joy Behar: Say Anything! on Current TV. This show ran until August 2013. The channel was then sold and changed its format.

Her most recent weekly late-night talk show was Late Night Joy. It premiered on TLC in 2015. In this show, Joy had casual chats with friends in her New York City apartment. It aired only five episodes before being cancelled.

Other Creative Projects

Joy Behar has also performed in a one-woman show Off-Broadway. It was called Me, My Mouth and I.

She has written several books. One is a collection of funny stories called Joy Shtick. She also wrote a children's book in 2006 called Sheetzucacapoopoo: My Kind of Dog.

Joy has appeared on other TV shows too. She was in the comedy film Hall Pass in 2011. She also had a recurring role in Woody Allen's Amazon series, Crisis in Six Scenes.

Joy Behar's Personal Life

Joy Behar married Joe Behar in 1965. They had one daughter, Eve Behar Scotti. They divorced in 1981. Joy has a grandson named Luca. She started dating Steve Janowitz in 1982, and they got married in 2011.

Joy Behar lives in The Hamptons and also has a home in Manhattan. She is a member of the Democratic Party.

Film and Television Roles

Film Appearances

Television Appearances

Stage Performances

Awards and Recognitions

See also

• Broadcast journalism
• New Yorkers in journalism