Joy Behar Reveals How She Really Feels About Meghan McCain
Despite being on air for 23 years, The View can't seem to get away from the notion that their female-led panel doesn't have much of a good working relationship with each other. From Rosie O'Donnell and Elizabeth Hasselbeck's on-air fight about the Iraq war to Barbara Walters and Jenny McCarthy's arguing over who would moderate debates, the feuds have often overshadowed the show's content.
However, the most entertaining feud in The View's modern era belongs to Joy Behar and Meghan McCain. The two have shown no love for each other during their round table debates, and in 2019, McCain snapped at Behar after the latter questioned her support for Trump voters. The spat resulted in the Arizona native calling Behar a "b****," but the two denied any bad blood off-screen. In October 2020, for example, McCain paid tribute to Behar, calling the co-host her "favorite liberal sparring partner." She concluded the Instagram post, "Grateful to call you a friend."
Viewers would think that stepping into a new year would quiet the on-screen bickering, but Behar has made it clear that she would have preferred McCain to have been on maternity leave for longer.
Joy Behar did not miss Meghan McCain
Both Joy Behar and Meghan McCain got into a heated argument on the Hot Topics segment which aired on Jan. 5, 2021 — the second day of McCain's return from a three-month maternity leave. According to Page Six, Behar was discussing whether or not the United States should have more than two political parties when McCain interrupted her.
"Excuse me, I was speaking!" a visibly annoyed Behar said when McCain talked over her. "You missed me so much, Joy. You missed me so much when I was on maternity leave. You missed me so much. You missed fighting with me." McCain quipped. "I did not," Behar responded sternly. "I did not miss you. Zero." Upon hearing this, McCain responded again by saying Behar was "nasty" and "rude" for her comments.
Seeing how personal the discussion had gotten, Whoopi Goldberg, who was moderating, immediately stepped in and told everyone to stop. "This is not the way to do it, and so I'm going to become 'Whoopi' and say, Sara, I'd like to hear from you right now," Goldberg demanded. The segment ended with co-hosts Sunny Hostin and Sara Haines trying to deviate to other topics, but the bad blood between Behar and McCain could not have been more apparent.
Opposing political parties makes good television, but not friendly conversation
So, why do Joy Behar and Meghan McCain get so heated with one another? It seems that their opposing political views are what gets them the most fired up when they are on air. Behar is a known New Yorker and Democrat, whereas McCain, the daughter of the former Arizona Senate Republican and U.S. presidential candidate John McCain, leans right. This difference in ideologies, while great for allowing "The View" to hold a fair discussion throughout their segments, ultimately is what causes the tension amongst the co-hosts.
Fans of the talkshow are probably remembering the episode from early February 2020, which is a prime example of these two getting into a fiery back-and-forth over politics. The episode took place around the final debate before the Nevada Democratic caucuses and resulted in McCain telling Behar (via The Hill) that "she's 'done a piss-poor job of convincing' her to vote for a Democrat in November's election." In the episode, Behar also kept asking who McCain was going to vote for, insinuating that the Republican was still going to vote for Trump. McCain quipped back saying, "Who I vote for is none of your business!"
Meghan McCain and Joy Behar reveal they have one thing in common
Jan. 5, 2020's heated argument between Joy Behar and Meghan McCain on "The View" is very similar to these disagreements the hosts have had in their past. Their opposing political views are exactly what led to their combative outburst. Before Behar told McCain that she didn't miss her, the comedian-turned-talk show host was in the middle of expressing her political viewpoints about whether or not the United States should have more than two parties. During the "Hot Topics" segment, Behar said (via Entertainment Tonight), "On the one hand you have the Republicans and on the other hand you have the seditionists." Behar went on to say, "Among the Democrats, you have the progressives and the moderates which is de rigueur. The Republican party is in much more trouble right now," which led McCain to interrupt her. McCain started to voice her own opinions, which resulted in Behar's low blows.
Despite the recurring arguments between these two co-hosts, both Behar and McCain have publicly denied any bad blood. During an interview with ET in 2019, Behar told the outlet that they like each other, but "they never put on an act when they have heated discussions on the show." Behar explains it's the one thing they have in common, saying, "It's not an act, we don't sugarcoat it, we go right in it... I think that there's mutual respect for that."