Joy Behar is not letting a dislocated shoulder or her age convince her to slow down. The View co-host, 84, got candid about aging, comedy, and her future on television in a new interview with Vulture, published on October 16, weeks after a backstage fall left her with a shoulder injury.
"It's a pain in the a** to be old," she told the outlet. Behar, who recently became the longest-running female talk show host in American television history, is not ready to trade her microphone for retirement just yet.
"I'm 84, but I have the brain of a 30-year-old and sometimes a 10-year-old, plus I look pretty good because I have Italian skin," Behar continued. "You wouldn't say to Picasso to stop painting.
You can't tell me to quit being funny." The stubborn spirit also shapes how she interviews guests. Rather than picking fights for headlines, Behar says she prefers making people comfortable.
"I'm not interested in making newspaper headlines. I don't need the publicity," she said.
"What I'm interested in is trying to get them to open up. If you attack them, they won't do it.
I like them to feel comfortable so I can ask a tough question." Behar has been absent from The View since her fall in late September.
In a prerecorded update aired October 13, she joked about her recovery. "Thanks to everyone who inquired about my recovery," Behar's pre-recorded message began.
"If I was still 21, I'd have bounced back the next day. But since I'm an old bat, recuperating takes a bit longer." She added, "I plan to be back next week to fill everyone in on all the gory details."
Her resilience has been a topic of discussion among fans and media critics alike, who admire her dedication to the craft of talk show hosting. As she navigates this recovery, Behar remains a central figure in the landscape of American daytime television, proving that age is merely a number for those with a passion for their work.