The View co-host Joy Behar is reportedly taking a leave of absence from ABC’s popular daytime chat show as a precautionary measure against the coronavirus.
Variety reported late Thursday that Behar, 77, announced her decision during a pre-taped episode of The View that will air Friday. While neither she nor any of the show’s staff have tested positive for the coronavirus, Behar is heeding the entreaties of her daughter to stay at home for the time being.
Behar is expected to be absent from the show all next week and will evaluate her situation after that.
“I’m in a higher risk group because of my age, but I’m perfectly healthy,” Behar says on the episode, according to Variety. “I don’t look my age, but I’m actually up there. The number makes me dizzy.”
The View tapes in New York, which declared a state of emergency earlier today in response to the spread of the coronavirus. The virus has infected 95 people in the city, but Mayor Bill de Blasio said he expects that number to skyrocket to 1,000 cases by next week.
At least two dead after ‘targeted’ shooting at Rhode Island hockey game
China pledges aid to Ukraine as US officials warn Beijing is quietly fueling Russia’s war
ICE sweeps up convicted pedophiles, traffickers in massive holiday weekend sting: ‘Worst of the worst’
Video: A Liberal Karen Proudly Brags TPUSA School Event Was Reported to Child Protective Services Because She Didn’t Like It
Nancy Guthrie’s family cleared in kidnapping case, with sheriff ‘begging’ media to show compassion
Video: AOC Finally Admits It: They Made Up ‘Whiteness’ – And the Reason They Did It Is Literally Satanic
Trump rips Newsom’s UK pact as 2028 showdown chatter grows
Multiple people shot at Rhode Island ice rink in domestic violence-related murder-suicide
Obama calls Los Angeles homelessness an ‘atrocity,’ criticizes ‘losing’ political strategy
TMZ pleads with man to prove himself after receiving fourth letter claiming to know where Nancy Guthrie is
Agitator arrested on battery charge outside Trump’s West Palm Beach golf course
BREAKING: Legendary Actor Robert Duvall Dead at 95
Priceless: ‘I Want My Mommy!’ – Anti-ICE Student Tangles With Cop, Begins Wailing for Her Mom as Soon as Cuffs Go On
Montana governor launches sanctuary crackdown, probes capital city over ICE limits
‘At some point, you age out’: Obama urges Democrats to pass torch to younger candidates
Co-hosts Whoopi Goldberg, Meghan McCain, and Sunny Hostin are expected to stay on the show next week, according to Variety.
Behar has been a reliably vocal antagonist of President Donald Trump, using her pulpit on the long-running daytime talk show to engage in her highly agitated brand of mockery.
Earlier today, Behar called on President Trump to resign over the coronavirus, making the perplexing claim that his Oval Office address on Wednesday shows that the president himself is in poor health.
“He does not inspire confidence. I could hear him breathing. Could you?” she said on Thursday’s episode. “Is there a microphone in his nostrils, do you think? It speaks of somebody who’s not in great health, and he’s been so exposed to a few people now who have had the coronavirus.”
Story cited here.
