Joy Behar Derails ‘The View’ with Confused Questions About “The Left”: “What Is It?”

The View is known for its heated political discussions, but on Friday morning, things took a turn for the bizarre when longtime co-host Joy Behar insisted that someone explain to her what “the left” means. Behar’s confusion derailed the entire Hot Topics queue, and the women spent the next 25 minutes attempting to explain leftist ideology to their co-host — a political philosophy that she should already understand, as The View has been discussing the topic in-depth since the 2016 election. The odd moment prompts one to ask: has Joy Behar not understood what’s happening on The View for the last three years? Was this some sort of “Let’s explain these terms to the audience” stunt, or does Behar genuinely not understand the concept of “the left”?

The off-the-rails discussion began when moderator Whoopi Goldberg brought up Joe Biden and asked if his success in the polls indicates that “voters are looking for a centrist candidate who doesn’t lean too far to the left.” This is not a new Hot Topic: The View has been discussing Biden’s candidacy, both on the small scale and as it relates to the Democratic party as a whole, for weeks. “I’m a little confused about when they say they’re too far to the left,” said Behar. She went on an odd tangent, saying that “in [her] day,” she had “cleaner air” and “schools that were virtually free,” as well as less expensive healthcare. “Are those the lefty positions?” she asked. “What is it that they say is so progressive? Because those don’t seem that progressive to me.”

Goldberg attempted to clear things up for Behar by bringing up concerns over “socialist ideas,” but it didn’t help. “What do they mean? I’m not clear,” replied Behar. She proceeded to make her co-hosts list specific “leftist” policies, many of which Behar has vocally agreed with, but when Meghan McCain said that Behar herself is “far to the left,” she objected. “I am far to the left?” she asked. “To me, it’s centrist.”

For reasons beyond my understanding, The View continued the discussion after the commercial break. Again, Behar insisted that she “doesn’t understand” why McCain thinks she’s “far to the left,” despite her many criticisms of Trump, her pro-choice stance, and more. “I believe that I’m a centrist,” said Behar (she almost described herself as a “Central American,” which was the only funny moment in the otherwise weird AF discussion). “I see myself as somebody who has common sense. That people need to have free education because I had it, and I had a very good education,” she continued. “Why can’t we have that again? That’s common sense.” Behar again mentioned “cleaner air” and Medicare and Medicaid. “You call me a lefty. That doesn’t sound right to me,” she added, still confused.

After yet another commercial break, the bizarre discussion continued (were there no other Hot Topics on the docket today???). McCain noted that Behar is “the most radical, far left person [she] has ever known,” although she insisted that she says that “with love and respect.” Behar still wasn’t getting it. “I believe we agree on many things,” replied Behar, clearly forgetting the many, many fights they’ve had since McCain started in 2017. “We don’t agree on many things,” said McCain, deadpan.

I watch The View every day, and I still found the 25-minute back-and-forth baffling. Where has Joy Behar been for the past three years? I get that it’s Friday, but this level of checking-out is truly ridiculous. If you want to watch the bizarre exchange — be forewarned: it’s incredibly frustrating — check out the clips above.

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