What really made Barbara Walters tick? Apparently her incredible bladder control, according to The View star Joy Behar. During a Watch What Happens Live appearance, Joy opened up about her former boss’s superpower, while also reflecting on being fired by Barbara — twice.
Barbara Walters’ Secret To Success Is All About Bladder Control
Joy explained that Barbara scored all the best interviews because she never took bathroom breaks: “The woman was like a camel. She never peed,” Joy revealed. Adding, “One of her secrets was, she would always steal the interview from her competitors because she never went to the bathroom. I don’t know if people know that,” Joy said with a straight face. This wasn’t just grandma telling a story. This was an anecdote about a legendary woman. An anecdote that left Cohen and the studio unsure whether to laugh or not. “Is that how you lose in life? By going to the potty?” Cohen asked. “You cannot pee if you want to be successful,” she replied. Thanks to Joy’s revelation, it’s forever confirmed that Walters was a legendary journalist with a bladder of steel.
Being a pioneer in the journalism field, Joy added that Barbara “Had to deal with a lot of male chauvinism,” she revealed, pointing out how Harry Reisner had been mean to her. “She just kept doing her job” — apparently with a full bladder.
Joy Behar Opens Up About Being Fired From ‘The View’
Joy also was spilled about her time away from The View when she was fired — not once but twice. “Barbara fired me at one point. She fired me twice, actually,” Joy recalled. Joy was fired (at least once) because she shared too many secrets about The View. “I spilled the beans that Rosie [O’Donnell] was coming on the show,” Joy told Page Six in June. “[Barbara] wanted to announce that Rosie was coming on the show at the Emmys and told us to keep it a secret.”
Claiming to have forgotten that she wasn’t supposed to share View intel, Joy added that Barbara was “furious that I would have such a big mouth but she rehired me the same day.”
Recalling the story on WWHL, Joy said, “One of the times that she fired me was just because they decided to fire me. It had something to do with the Democrat and a Republican. That’s what they told me. So, she sacked me, right?” Joy revealed. “We were planning to tell the story on the air and during the commercial break, she says to me, ‘Tell them you changed your mind.’ I said, ‘Barbara, you just fired me. How am I supposed to change my mind?’ She regretted it.” When the host reminded her that they brought her back, Joy clarified the events. “They didn’t just bring me back. They begged me to come back. Let’s be clear here.”
Joy wasn’t the only original co-host to be fired. She noted how Star Jones, whom she called “unusual,” was meant to make her dismissal announcement on a Thursday but jumped the gun and shared it on air on a Tuesday. “I like her for that, though,” she said as she raised her middle finger. Nighttime Joy is much different than daytime Joy!
The View airs weekdays on ABC. All episodes are available to stream on Hulu.
The View
- Release Date
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August 11, 1997
- Writers
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Barbara Walters
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