Veteran co-host Joy Behar returned to the panel of ABC's daytime talk show The View on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, ending an absence that lasted nearly a month. The 84-year-old comedian and original co-host had been away from the broadcast desk since September 30 after suffering a dislocated shoulder in a backstage fall. Her return comes just a day after a representative for the show publicly refuted tabloid speculation that network executives were planning to remove her from the program.

Behar's comeback was officially previewed on Monday, October 26, by executive producer Brian Teta during an episode of the show's Behind the Table podcast, according to TV Insider. "Joy is back," Teta stated at the conclusion of the podcast episode. "We’ve missed her. We’ll see you tomorrow!" When Tuesday's broadcast aired, Behar reclaimed her seat at the Hot Topics table and discussed the shoulder injury that kept her sidelined throughout October.

A Month-Long Recovery from Backstage Fall

Behar last appeared on The View on September 30 before her sudden absence was first addressed on air the following day. During the October 1 broadcast, fellow co-host Sunny Hostin informed the studio audience and viewers at home about the incident. With moderator Whoopi Goldberg also away at the time filming the Netflix movie Women Like Us, Hostin explained the situation from the presenter's chair.

"So, Whoopi is still out filming a movie, and, unfortunately, our dear friend Joy dislocated her shoulder," Hostin told the audience on October 1, as reported by The Independent. "Yeah, so she’s recovering and will be back soon." At that time, Hostin was joined on the panel by regular co-hosts Sara Haines, Ana Navarro, and Alyssa Farah Griffin, alongside former co-host Sherri Shepherd, who filled in as a guest panelist.

According to a statement from Behar's representative noted by Entertainment Weekly, the accident occurred when Behar caught a heel backstage. Her representative confirmed that while the shoulder was dislocated, no bones were broken, the joint had been put back into place, and the host hoped to return to the studio quickly.

However, the recovery timeline stretched longer than initially anticipated. Behar missed her birthday episode on October 7, during which Goldberg read a message from the recuperating co-host on air. "She says, 'Thanks to everyone who inquired about my recovery. If I was still 21, I’d have bounced back the next day,'" Goldberg relayed to viewers, according to The Daily Beast. "'But, since I’m an old bat, recuperating takes a bit longer. I plan to be back next week to fill everyone in on all the gory details.'"

By October 20, an expected return had still not materialized. Goldberg updated the audience once again, noting that Behar remained at home healing. "So, Joy is still out healing up. I know, I know, she’s still healing," Goldberg said during the broadcast, which also marked Hostin's birthday, as detailed by AOL.com. Goldberg added that Behar had been calling staffers late at night to make sure everyone wished Hostin a happy birthday on her behalf. Later that week, Goldberg offered another on-air message of support: "We’ll have something special when you know you’re on your way back. Hurry back. It’s not the same at the table. We miss you, we do."

This is not the first time an accidental injury has temporarily kept Behar away from the studio. Last year, she missed a few days of broadcasts after dropping an iPad on her foot and breaking her toe.

Conflicting Reports on Panel Shake-Ups and Retirement

As Behar's absence extended into late October, anonymous tabloid reports began circulating regarding her future on the ABC daytime staple, creating a sharp divide between unnamed-source allegations and official network statements.

According to a report from The U.S. Sun—which was subsequently aggregated by outlets including The Independent and AOL.com—unnamed insiders alleged that show executives wanted Behar to retire following the backstage fall. The anonymous sources claimed that staff members were worried about her mobility and safety on set, alleging that employees had to guide her around backstage. The report further claimed that executives had discussed reducing her workload from four days a week to a part-time schedule, drawing a comparison to series creator Barbara Walters, who transitioned to a part-time schedule before retiring from the program in May 2014 at age 84. Those same unnamed sources claimed Behar refused to consider stepping down voluntarily.

Separately, an anonymous report from RadarOnline alleged that producers were considering firing Behar as part of a broader panel shake-up aimed at making the show "less shrill and more inviting to a broader audience," and suggested her injury absence could be used as an excuse to remove her.

In response to the firing allegations, a representative for The View issued an official denial to Entertainment Weekly on October 26, stating that "there is no truth" to the report that Behar is on the outs or facing removal from the panel. Additionally, a show source told the outlet that both the production staff and fellow co-hosts were eager to welcome her back to the desk. While the representative specifically denied the reported firing plan, neither ABC nor Behar's representatives issued an on-the-record response regarding the separate anonymous allegations about retirement or part-time scheduling discussions.

A Historic Milestone on Daytime Television

Behar's return to the desk underscores her enduring tenure on American daytime television. Having debuted alongside Barbara Walters when The View premiered in August 1997, Behar is the last remaining original panelist still active on the program. Aside from a two-year hiatus between 2013 and 2015, she has been a fixture of the broadcast for nearly three decades.

During the show's Season 30 premiere earlier this fall, Goldberg highlighted a major broadcasting milestone for her colleague. Because Behar has served as a co-host for 28 of the show's 30 seasons, she officially holds the record as the longest-running female host of an American television talk show.

At the time of the Season 30 announcement, Behar responded to the record with her trademark humor. "All I can say is that I was here when the show was in black and white," she joked to the audience, adding a recollection of a conversation with the show's late founder: "I said to Barbara, 'We’re going to get old on the show.' She said, 'You’ve got to get old anyway.'"

With Behar back in her regular seat as of Tuesday's broadcast, The View resumes its standard panel lineup on ABC, putting weeks of recovery updates and off-screen speculation behind the long-running talk show.

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