Birth Date:
Birth Place:
Gender:
Height:
Nationality:
Professions:
Oct 7, 1942 (81 years old)
Williamsburg
Female
5 ft 5 in (1.67 m)
United States of America
Comedian , Actor , Writer , Presenter , Talk show host , Voice Actor
Joy Behar is an esteemed American comedian, writer, actress, and television co-host, boasting a net worth of $30 million. She is widely recognized for her pivotal role as a co-host on The View on ABC. Apart from this, Behar has led various other successful shows on numerous networks. She is a prolific stage actress and an accomplished writer known for her insightful political commentary.
Joy Behar earns a lucrative salary of $7 million per year for her co-hosting duties on The View.
Josephine Victoria Occhiuto was born on October 7th, 1942, in Brooklyn, New York. Raised as an only child in a Roman Catholic, Italian household to working-class parents, she demonstrated early intellectual promise. After completing high school, she pursued higher education at Queens College, where she received a B.A. in sociology in 1964. Furthering her academic journey, she earned an MA in English Education from Stony Brook University in 1966. Joy then spent several years teaching high school English while delving into acting in her spare time.
Joy Behar embarked on her entertainment career in the 1980s, initially earning production credits on Good Morning America before making her mark as a stand-up comedian. Her talent was soon showcased across various comedy clubs throughout the 1980s, leading to television appearances on shows like Baby Boom and Live From Queens. She made her talk show debut with Way Off Broadway.
During the late 80s and into the 90s, Behar also branched into film, securing roles in movies such as Cookie, This is My Life, and Manhattan Murder Mystery. She frequently appeared in HBO comedy specials, widening her audience. However, her major breakthrough came in 1997 when she joined The View as a regular panelist, eventually securing a permanent co-host spot. Her influence on the show was profound, earning her and her co-hosts a Daytime Emmy Award in 2009.
After temporarily leaving The View in 2013 to focus on her stand-up career and playwriting, Behar rejoined the show as a co-host in 2015. Beyond The View, she has helmed multiple television programs, including Larry King Live. Despite her show on CNN, The Joy Behar Show, being canceled after two years, she continued to engage audiences with programs like Joy Behar: Say Anything! on Current TV and TLC's Late Night Joy. In theater, she has performed in acclaimed productions such as The Vagina Monologues and Love, Loss, and What I Wore.
Joy Behar married Joe Behar, a university professor, in 1965. The marriage produced one child before ending in divorce in 1981, after which Joy retained Joe's last name and custody of their child. Later, she began a relationship with Steve Janowitz, whom she married in 2011. Joy Behar is noted for her staunch support of the Democratic party.
Joy Behar has invested significantly in real estate. In 2016, she sold her traditional cedar home in East Hampton for $3.8 million and subsequently acquired another property nearby for $4.75 million. In 2017, Behar purchased a two-bedroom apartment in the Upper West Side of New York City for $2.4 million, later selling the renovated apartment in 2018 for an impressive $3.28 million.
