One of The View‘s original co-hosts has finally had enough of the long-running daytime series, and will exit the talk show after 16 and a half years.
Deadline reports that Joy Behar is exiting The View after her contract expires in August so that she can focus on new projects, including a new interview-style show. Aside from Barbara Walters, Behar is the last remaining original co-host on the series.
“It seemed like the right time,” Behar told the publication. “You reach a point when you say to yourself, ‘Do I want to keep doing this?’ There are other things on my plate I want to do — I’ve been writing a play, I’ve been neglecting my standup.”
The host also admitted she still has a soft spot for talk shows — she hosts series for HLN and then Current TV, which is being taken over by Al Jazeera and being reformatted — and is looking to do another show, perhaps with CNN.
In a statement to the publication, ABC said, “Joy Behar has been instrumental in the success of The View from the very beginning. We wish her all the best in this next chapter, and are thrilled that we have her for the remainder of the season.”
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