Whoopi Goldberg Shuts Ana Navarro Down Over Joy Behar Firing

The View host Whoopi Goldberg shut down co-host Ana Navarro in a discussion about the 2013 firing of their colleague, Joy Behar.

Joy was absent from the show when the talk turned to the decade-old incident. After Ana made a claim, Whoopi quickly corrected her. Read on to find out what Ana said about Joy’s break from the show in 2013. And why Whoopi felt that it was so important to set the record straight.

Bill Geddie’s Death Leads To Walk Down Memory Lane

On Friday, July 21, 2023, The View co-creator Bill Geddie passed away at 68. At the start of this week, the hosts reminisced about his time with the show. Joy Behar was absent on Monday, and former host Sherry Shepherd joined the table to share her memories and thoughts.

Bill helped create the show alongside legendary broadcaster and journalist Barbara Walters, who died in 2022 at the age of 98. They founded the show in 1997, and it quickly became a daytime staple. Hosts have come and gone over the years, but few with as much controversy as what happened with then-hosts Joy Behar and Elizabeth Hasselback in 2013. Joy, who was an original host alongside Barbara herself, was let go from the show in 2013, as was Elizabeth. With Bill and Barbara at the helm, they had to deal with a significant amount of backlash from fans due to Joy’s popularity.

However, little was said publicly about the decision. At the time, ABC said that Joy was “instrumental in the success of The View from the very beginning.” They added that they wished her well, and were, “thrilled that we have her for the remainder of the season.” The explanation given at the time was that Joy had left to pursue her own project, and she made occasional appearances as a guest host from 2013 to 2015. In 2015, she returned to her spot at the desk and resumed co-hosting.

Whoopi Goldberg Quickly Shuts Down Ana Navarro Over Talk Of Joy Behar’s Firing

Years later, Joy Behar admitted that she hadn’t left willingly. In 2022, Joy told Time magazine that she was glad to be fired. She added, “I basically was sick of the show at that point for some reason.”

And that confession came back around again on Monday’s show when Ana Navarro made a reference that Whoopi Goldberg quickly shut down. Ana said about Bill that the late co-creator “hired Joy and fired Joy. And she still loves him!” A somber Whoopi set the record straight. She explained, “He didn’t fire Joy.” She added, “No, he did not, that was … yeah.”

Whoopi then abruptly changed the subject, saying that co-host Alyssa Farrah Griffin had a question. They did not return to the topic, leaving more questions than answers behind.

Why do you think Whoopi Goldberg shut down Ava Navarro over Joy Behar’s 2013 “firing”? And do you think there’s an intriguing story behind it all? Sound off in the comments about what you think really happened. And catch The View from 11 AM to 12 PM EST every weekday morning on ABC.