Joy Behar paid tribute to Barbara Walters, her former boss and a longtime co-host of "The View.".
After Barbara Walters passed away at the age of 93, comedian Joy Behar, who has been a co-host of The View since 1997 (which Barbara founded), appeared on ABC to pay tribute to the legendary television personality.
Joy reflected on Barbara's life and their relationship during a phone interview on December 31. "She became a mentor. She's very ...
...much the role model for a lot of people in showbiz and the news world for sure...she had a work ethic you couldn't deny.
It was crucial to learn that Barbara didn't go into a situation unprepared or without having worked on her material, the 80-year-old recalled, adding that Barbara also had a surprising sense of humor.
We've had a lot of laughs both on camera and off camera, she added during the interview. She could tell a dirty joke, have fun, and laugh a lot.
She came to watch me perform stand-up at a benefit, which is how she got to know me, and that's how she got to know my sense of ...
...humor, Joy said of their first encounter in the late '90s. Certainly, [she has] meant a lot to me in my work life and career.
She asked, "Who is that woman?" and that was the beginning of her decision to call and put me on the air with the comment, "I'll miss her.".
Joy was initially a fill-in host and wasn't a part of the original full-time cast, but she was quickly added to the team and served as a regular host for the first season.
At the time of its debut, Barbara described the program as a talk show with four or five women "of different backgrounds, different generations, and different opinions" ...
...who would engage in witty debate about current events during the first segment of Hot Topics before having guests in from the entertainment and political worlds.
It turns out that Joy was almost let go before she was, thanks to Barbara herself in 2006 for accidentally revealing that Rosie O'Donnell was joining the cast.
Joy thought back to the scene from Behind the Table: A View Reunion on Hulu.
Joy referred to Barbara's conversation with her when she said, "[EW] called and said, "Oh, and Rosie O'Donnell's coming on the show, and guess who told them?".
Joy speculated that Meredith Vieira might have leaked the information, to which Barbara retorted, "No, you! Joy Behar did that And I ...
...want you to know that I'm not renewing your contract." It should be noted that Joy was still a cast member of the show at the time.