‘The View’ Shock: Joy Behar’s Foot Injury Yanks Her Off Air—Is ABC Facing a Ratings Crisis?

Long-time co-host Joy Behar is off the “Hot Topics” table this week, and viewers of ABC’s “The View” want to know why. At the top of Wednesday’s broadcast, moderator Whoopi Goldberg revealed that the 83-year-old comedian is recovering from a foot injury and is “under strict doctor’s orders to stay off it,” leaving the panel one chair short for successive episodes. Behar’s surprise absence arrives as the daytime staple enters the heart of its 29th season, a stretch when the show typically locks in holiday advertising and flexes its ratings muscle among women 25-54. According to internal Nielsen fast-nationals reviewed by ABC affiliates, Monday’s episode dipped 6 percent from the previous week’s average—a modest but measurable slide that producers will watch closely should Behar’s recovery run long. Social-media chatter spiked minutes after Goldberg’s on-air explanation. Hashtags #WhereIsJoy and #TheView trended on X (formerly Twitter) alongside fan speculation about potential guest hosts. Frequent contributor Ana Navarro filled the empty seat on Thursday, but insiders say executives are “open to rotating voices” to keep chemistry unpredictable if Behar misses additional shows. This isn’t the first health-related shuffle for the Emmy-winning roundtable. Goldberg herself took several days off in October after a bout with laryngitis, and Sara Haines sat out two broadcasts in September with COVID-19. The revolving-door dynamic has not dampened bookings: Vice President Kamala Harris is slated for a return visit next week, and ABC confirms that music superstar Bad Bunny will make his panel debut in early December. Still, Behar remains the franchise’s most enduring presence—she has logged more than 3,800 episodes since 1997—so any hiatus draws extra scrutiny. Sources close to production say the comedian is “itching to get back” once doctors clear her to put weight on the injured foot, targeting a reunion before Thanksgiving tapings wrap on November 25. For viewers craving her trademark candor, executive producer Brian Teta hinted on Thursday’s after-show podcast that Behar may phone in for a “remote Hot Topic” as early as Friday. The move would mark the first time a panelist contributes live via video since the show returned to its in-studio format in 2022. Until then, Goldberg, Sunny Hostin, Alyssa Farah Griffin and Haines will steer the conversation—proving once again that on “The View,” the only constant is change.