On Thursday, November 2, Joy Behar was noticeably absent from the hosting panel on The View, leaving fans questioning her disappearance. Whoopi Goldberg shared the real reason the longtime broadcaster was missing from the program.
Where Is Joy Behar on ‘The View’?
At the top of the episode, Whoopi announced that Joy was gearing up for the debut of her latest project and was therefore missing the show.
“So, Joy is not here today because she is preparing for the premiere of her play, Bonkers in the Boroughs, at the New York Comedy Festival,” the Sister Act star told the audience. “We did not want her to be stressed and not ready.”
In addition to writing and producing the five-part play, Joy will also be acting in it. Ana Navarro filled in for her costar during the episode. The political commentator is usually only on the program on Mondays, Fridays and days when one of the full-time cohosts is absent.
Joy previously revealed that she was dabbling in theater during an October 7 episode of the show, which also happened to be her 81st birthday.
“When I’m not sitting here being interrupted by you bitches, I’m writing plays now! This is my new chapter,” she told her cohosts at the time. “Five of those plays, they’re short, they’re for ADD people, these are one act, they’re called Bonkers in the Boroughs and they will be part of the New York Comedy Festival, which is coming up in November.”
During Joy’s birthday episode, Sunny Hostin said that she intended to buy a ticket to see the play at the Manhattan Movement and Arts Center. Joy’s other costars cheered as she discussed her latest career venture with a smile on her face. Bonkers in the Boroughs also stars some other familiar faces from TV, including Bob Ari, Susie Essman, Dan Grimaldi, Danny Hoch, Jackie Hoffman, Lou Liberator and Renée Taylor.
When Will Joy Behar Return to ‘The View’?
Joy also took the day off on Friday, November 3, to focus on her play. She is expected back on The View on November 6.
“I’m taking it off so I can concentrate on this other thing for two days. I’ll be back next week. I thought to myself, ‘It’s self-preservation, darling,'” she said on an episode of the “Behind the Table” podcast on Thursday.
Whoopi will appear on the broadcast in the moderator role in Joy’s absence on Friday afternoon. The EGOT winner typically has Fridays off from the show but is clearly very supportive of Joy’s big project.
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