Update (10/27/22 11:26 a.m. EST): Joy Behar stuck by her comments about having phantasmic affairs during an October 27 episode of The View. During another “Hot Topic” discussion about haunted houses, Sara Haines mentioned that the last time they spoke about ghosts, Joy’s confession got much media attention. The women all laughed, and the comedian jokingly doubled down to share further details. “Let me just set the record straight. It’s all true. I have had sex with ghosts. Casper was not a generous lover. The menage-a-trois, it was almost like having sex with myself,” she quipped.
Before cutting to another segment, Whoopi Goldberg made a joke about haunted houses, but made a point to say that she was speaking “in humor.” Joy did say that her stories were “all true,” but she was laughing as she said so. It seemed she was just having fun with the coverage.
Original: Joy Behar, 80, did not hold back during the Oct. 20 episode of The View, in which the hosts were chatting about ghosts. “If you have sex with a ghost, do you get pregnant?”, Sara Haines, 45, asked the cast. Then over the chatter of Alyssa Farah Griffin, 33, and Sunny Hostin, 54, Joy added her cheeky comment. “I’ve had sex with a few ghosts and never got pregnant,” the longtime host said. Her comment was received with loud laughter from everyone except Whoopi Goldberg, 66, who said, “I’m just gonna let that ride. I don’t know how many of you heard what Joy just said, but I’m gonna let it ride.” Following Whoopi’s comment, Joy motioned her hand to shrug the comment off and appeared to have said, “it’s fine.”
"If you have sex with a ghost, do you get pregnant?" – Sara Haines
"Is it cheating?" – Alyssa Farah Griffin
"You're not cheating if it's a ghost." – Sunny Hostin
"I've had sex with a few ghosts that have got pregnant." – Joy Behar
"I'm going to let it ride." Whoopi Goldberg pic.twitter.com/jMc92JzyOG— Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) October 20, 2022
The hilarious comment from the comedian and The Great Gasbag author comes two weeks after she celebrated her 80th birthday. Although she has been on The View for over 25 years, Joy told PEOPLE that she is not going to retire anytime soon. “I just signed a contract so I’ll be here for a while,” she said. “I have no plans to retire.” In addition, the legendary TV host added how proud she is to be apart of the show. “It’s really, you know, something that is an important show in many ways,” Joy shared. “Sometimes I don’t believe that, as I’ve been here since the beginning, but we’re the most-watched show in daytime. Most-watched!”
Joy, who turned 80 years old on Oct. 7, also received many warm wishes from several celebrities during the Oct. 12 episode of the hit talk show. President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden even sent in a birthday video made specially for Joy. “From the whole Biden family, Happy Birthday Joy!,” Joe said. Jill added, “No one is better named than you. You’ve brought joy to so many of your friends and admirers with your trademark humor and that smile that lights up the room.” The president then praised Joy for speaking her mind and her ability to “speak from the heart.” The TV host’s jaw dropped when she saw the two political figures appear on the screen and was over joyed.
During the Oct. 12 episode, Joy also told Whoopi about how she felt about everyone mentioning her new age. “You also keep telling my age, which I have not done that in a long time,” Joy joked. Sunny even clarified that she asked Joy first if it was OK to mention her age prior to the show. “I asked permission this morning, I wanted to know if it was off the table,” Sunny said before Joy cut her off, “You know what I’m done. This is what 80 looks like!” The 80-year-old then added that “it is a privilege” to be alive and is happy to be celebrating her birthday.
Joy first joined The View in 1997 as one of the show’s first panelists. She remained on the show for over 16 years until she was fired in 2013 for reasons she cannot remember. “I was glad to be fired,” she told TIME in July. “I basically was sick of the show at that point for some reason, I don’t even remember why.” But eventually Joy returned to the beloved show in 2015. Joy is married to her husband, Steve Janowitz, and is a mother to her daughter Eve Behar, 51.