Joy Behar, 77, Reveals Possible Plans to Retire From ‘The View’ in 2022 After 21 Seasons

Say it ain’t so! Joy Behar might be planning to retire from The View after her contract ends in summer 2022. The beloved TV star, who cohosted the show for the last 21 seasons, revealed her possible plans in the upcoming book, Ladies Who Punch: The Explosive Inside Story of ‘The View’ by Ramin Setoodeh.

“I have a three-year contract,” the 77-year-old said in the book, per Variety. “But that doesn’t mean I can’t leave if I want to, because they can’t really do anything to me at this point. I don’t see myself staying for more [time]. That’s it! I could be wrong. If I’m as fabulous in [2022] as I am now, I’ll think about. But the chances of that happening…” She paused to reflect. “You know, time marches on. I’m not a kid.”

However, a spokesperson for The View told Us Weekly, “This is not true. Joy was asked what happens at the end of her contract and as she herself made clear in the interview, if she’s ‘as fabulous in [2022] as I am now,’ she will be in her seat at the table.” It sounds like we may just have to wait and see!

As fans know, Joy has been keeping viewers entertained on the hit CBS daytime talk show since 1997 — which is longer than any other cohost in the show’s history. The red-haired beauty is one of the program’s original members after it was launched over two decades ago by TV icon Barbara Walters.

In 2013, Joy was fired from The View after ABC daytime executives chose to shift the theme to be less political. However, Joy proved she earned her spot at the roundtable when she returned in 2015 following years of sunken ratings.

Although fans don’t have to worry about saying goodbye to the comedian until possibly the end of summer in 2022, she recently took a leave of absence amid the worldwide coronavirus pandemic. In mid-March, Joy said it’s important for her to self-isolate because she’s “in a higher-risk group because of [her] age.”

“I’ve been thinking of staying home from the show. We don’t have an audience anymore. Believe me, the staff here, the exec producers, everybody, has really been doing their due diligence to clean the place up,” she said during the pre-taped episode on March 13. “But I’ve been thinking, maybe at my age — I know I look good, I look fantastic — I don’t look my age, I don’t. And so you really can’t tell how old I am by looking at me, but I am up there. The number, it makes me dizzy!”

While there’s no doubt we would greatly miss Joy’s hilarious commentary and witty banter, The View isn’t going to be quite the same when she eventually chooses to say her goodbyes, whenever that may be. In November 2017, the Joy Behar Show alum offered words of wisdom on how she navigates her incredible life.

“I’ve learned a million things, all sorts of lessons — I could go on for days,” she exclusively shared with Closer Weekly at the time. “Don’t hold back, say what’s on your mind, and be good to the people you love.”

We love you, Joy!