Joy Behar returned to The View on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, after spending nearly a month recovering from a dislocated shoulder. The comedian had plenty to say about the pain and the political conversations she had missed.
Sara Haines accompanied the 84-year-old to the table as Elton John’s “The Bitch Is Back” played. Behar immediately challenged the choice, joking that “God Save the Queen” would have been more appropriate.
The studio audience greeted her with applause and shouts of welcome. She joined Whoopi Goldberg, Haines, Sunny Hostin and Alyssa Farah Griffin for a reunion that quickly turned into the panel’s familiar banter.
Her absence had included her October 7 birthday celebration. Colleagues had kept viewers informed during her recovery, but Behar was now ready to describe the accident herself.
Behar Calls Her Shoulder Injury “Worse Than Childbirth”
Behar said she fell inside the show’s building, and Goldberg confirmed that she had heard the accident. Describing the dislocation as “worse than childbirth,” Behar joked that the pain would have made her give up names to the CIA, according to TV Insider.
Her representative had offered more detail on October 1, telling Page Six that she caught a heel backstage. The representative said her shoulder was not broken and had been put back in place. At that point, she was expected back by the middle of the following week.
She Quickly Returned to Joking About Trump
Behar was particularly disappointed to have missed the panel’s discussions of President Donald Trump’s comments about other people’s backsides. She worked her hospital visit into the joke, saying her doctor had not looked at her with the same admiration.
Farah Griffin celebrated the return of her colleague’s humor, while Haines reminded Behar how much the panel had missed her. Behar then turned serious, praising the staff and explaining how much she enjoyed spending time with the people who work on the show.
Goldberg described the effect of an absent colleague in comments reported by The Independent: “We’re together a lot, and so when one of us is not around, you feel it.”
Her Recovery Took Longer Than Initially Expected
Behar’s last appearance before the injury-related break was September 30. Hostin explained her absence to viewers the next day, taking the moderator’s seat while Goldberg was also away filming a movie. By October 13, Behar had sent a message for Goldberg to read on air, thanking viewers who had asked about her health.
“If I was still 21, I’d have bounced back the next day,” she wrote, according to TV Insider. Calling herself an “old bat,” she explained that recuperating was taking longer and said she hoped to return the following week.
Executive producer Brian Teta confirmed her comeback on the October 26 episode of Behind the Table, telling listeners to expect her the next day.
‘The View’ Rejected Claims That Her Job Was at Risk
A representative for the show separately told Entertainment Weekly there was no truth to a report that producers wanted to remove Behar from the panel. The denial came as her return was announced, following speculation during her absence.
Behar joined The View when it premiered in 1997. She left in 2013 and returned in September 2015. She is now in her 28th season overall.
The show marked that milestone at its season 30 premiere in September. As its official Behind the Table podcast noted, Behar had hosted more seasons of an American talk show than any other woman.