Joy Behar
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Born: | October 7, 1942 (64 years old) Brooklyn, New York, USA |
|---|---|
| Occupation: | Stand-up comic, co-host on The View |
Joy Behar (christened Josephina Victoria Occhiuto) was born on October 7, 1942 in Brooklyn, New York. She is an American comedian and co-host of the talk show The View. Behar was married to Joe Behar in January 1965 and divorced him in 1981; they had one daughter, Eve.[1] Behar holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology from Queens College. She is a former New York City teacher at Lindenhurst High School on Long Island with a Master of Arts degree in English Education from the State University of New York at Stony Brook.
Before her current success in daytime TV, Behar was a stand-up comic who peppered her shows with sardonic feminist, political and social complaints. Her comfortable, conversational, bold and exuberant stage presence, along with her easy rapport with audiences is her trademark. Typical of her frankness about herself and her life off stage, she stated in an interview that her motivation to commit herself to her comedy career began after nearly dying during the birth of her only daughter.
On The View, Behar is best known for her witty comments during the segment "Hot Topics." Originally Behar only appeared on the days when Barbara Walters was off; soon she became a regular co-host, with the panel expanding to five when Walters joined in. Behar often hosts a segment called "Joy's Comedy Corner," in which she presents up-and-coming comedians.
Behar stands left side of the political aisle and is in favor of taxpayer-funded embryonic stem-cell research and same-sex marriage, among other liberal positions. She has expressed her opposition to the war in Iraq and her dislike of Medicare's coverage of Viagra prescriptions. Behar recently referred to the Bush administration as "liars and murderers". When Fox News show host Bill O'Reilly contentiously claimed on The View that it was a mistake for Rosie O'Donnell to come out as gay and predicted that both her career and Ellen DeGeneres's would spiral downward because of it, Behar challenged this view. She replied that "someone has to take those risks [in order for there to be change in society]."
However, Behar's political views have also drawn criticism. The Anti-Defamation League, in an open letter to Behar, admonished her description of then Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld as "Hitler-like"[2], noting that "Hitler's actions during the Second World War and his responsibility for the Holocaust have no parallel in history." The ADL described Behar's comparison as "inapporpriate and offensive" noting that Hitler's name should not be "taken out of context or used for personal attacks or vendettas." ADL letter Behar has also draw criticism more than once from the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights. Catholic League president William A. Donohue remarked that Behar, who was raised a Roman Catholic, "is no stranger to Catholic bashing", pointed to her statement "Don't you remember when you went to Communion? In vino veritas. The priests were all drunk, don't you remember?" Catholic League news release The Catholic League maintains "there is an anti-Catholic animus evident among the panelists on 'The View,' with Rosie O'Donnell and Joy Behar being the worst offenders." [3]
Behar again raised eyebrows when she publicly opined that Democratic Senator Tim Johnson's recent health problems were the result of a Republican Party conspiracy to retake control of the Senate. When conservative co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck asked why "everything from the liberal perspective" sees conspiracy, Behar responded "I know what that Party is capable of." Excerpt from "The View"
More of her wide ranging views are covered in this revealing interview on PR.com with Joy Behar.
Behar has appeared in a number of films including Cookie, with Peter Falk; a guest appearance in The Stepford Wives; and This Is My Life, which was directed by Nora Ephron. She fulfilled a lifelong dream of acting in a movie with Woody Allen when she appeared in Manhattan Murder Mystery. Behar has also made successful theater appearances in The Food Chain and The Vagina Monologues.
Behar wrote a book of humorous essays and stories called Joy Shtick - Or What is the Existential Vacuum and Does It Come with Attachments?, published in 1999. She has also written a children's book called Sheetzucacapoopoo: My Kind of Dog, published in 2006
In 2003, Behar became a spokesperson for Jenny Craig. She lost 23 pounds in 11 weeks on the program. She no longer is a spokesperson for the company, presumably due to her putting back on the weight.
Behar frequently incorporates her Italian-American culture into her comedy and once told Charlie Rose on his PBS program that her grandmother kept a picture of Mussolini in her home. She is mistakenly thought to be Jewish, and has quipped that she is pleased to be "an honorary Jew."
For three years, Behar hosted a political radio show on WABC. Before her career as a comedian, she was a teacher and a phone receptionist at Good Morning America.
[edit] Trivia
- Behar nearly died from an ectopic pregnancy in 1979.[4]
- Behar frequently holds either a pen or her glasses in her right hand while talking. She always wears pants, rather than skirts or dresses.[5]
- Behar appeared on the 8th season of Bravo's Celebrity Poker Showdown, and finished in 4th place, behind Robin Tunney, Christopher Meloni, and Macy Gray, and ahead of Andy Dick. She played for the US fund for UNICEF.
- Behar appeared on a Season One episode of Dr. Katz.
- Former co-host on The View, Star Jones and Behar are known to dislike one another immensely. On March 27, 2006, Star Jones called into the show to discuss a recent operation that she had undergone. After talking with the show's co-hosts, Behar abruptly stated to Jones, "OK, Star. That's enough about you. On to us. Bye. Keep your [breasts] perky!"[6][7] Jones then responded, "Even today, you [Behar] are still a bitch."
Shortly after the start of the 10th season of "the View" in September 2006, Joy Behar celebrated her 64th birthday.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- The View Official Profile
- Video of Behar's conspiracy accusation
- Video of Behar's "Obama Bin Laden" comment
| Co-Hosts of The View |
|---|
| Walters • Vieira • Jones Reynolds • Behar • Matenopoulos • Ling • Hasselbeck • O'Donnell |
