Joy Behar was absent from The View on Tuesday, December 12 after testing positive for COVID-19. At the top of the show, it was announced that Yvette Nicole Brown, who has made frequent appearances on the show in the past, would be filling in at the “Hot Topics” table. Whoopi Goldberg announced that Joy would be out at the start of the broadcast. “She finally got COVID,” she said. “It finally got her.” It’s not clear how long Joy will be out from the show.
Joy’s absence came a little over a month after she took two days off to prepare for her play in the New York Comedy Festival at the beginning of November. As the show began on November 3, a Friday, Whoopi made a joke about the fact that she was on the show at the end of the week. While co-hosts Sara Haines, Sunny Hostin, and Alyssa Farah Griffin appear each day, Whoopi is typically out on Fridays. “Do not adjust your set. It is Friday. We are live, and I am here,” she quipped. Typically, Joy takes off on Mondays. On Fridays and Mondays, Ana Navarro fills in.
After making her joke about being in on Friday, Whoopi revealed the reason that her co-host was out. “Joy is out today, because she’s getting ready for the premiere of her play Bonkers in the Boroughs at the New York Comedy Festival, and we know she’s going to kick butt and break many legs, and we’re very excited for her, and it’s sold out, which is kind of fantastic.
Bonkers in the Boroughs will make its premiere at the New York Comedy Festival on Friday, November 3 at 7 p.m. There will also be shows on Saturday and Sunday. Joy has previously revealed on The View, that the show is actually five short plays inspired by each of New York’s five boroughs. She also said that she will act in one of the shows.
On the days when Whoopi is out, Joy usually fills in as the moderator. When the talk show returned for season 27, Whoopi unfortunately tested positive for COVID-19 and was forced to miss the series premiere. While she was out, the comic moderated. Joy also filled in when Whoopi took some time off to go and meet Pope Francis, which they spoke about when she returned.