What to Know
Joy Behar was on the March 24 episode of The View as per usual until Carrie Underwood appeared for an interview, leading some to believe that Behar was purposely avoiding Underwood. Ahead of Underwood’s controversial performance at President Donald Trump’s inauguration, Behar made it very clear that she did not support her decision (unlike co-host Whoopi Goldberg).
And if she were truly wanting to avoid Underwood because of this, she wouldn’t be the only one. Some fans of American Idol say they’ve stopped watching the show because she’s a judge, and they also don’t tune in to any other shows that she appears on.
People noticed that Behar was suddenly nowhere in sight once Underwood appeared.
At the beginning of the recent episode of The View, Behar was seated at the table with her co-hosts. Then, the show cut to a commercial break, and when it returned, Behar was gone. To be fair, co-host Sara Haines wasn’t there either. The co-hosts who were actually at the table were interviewing American Idol judges Lionel Ritchie, Luke Bryan, and Underwood. Hmm.
Some Trump critics assumed that Behar chose to skip the interview, to which they said, “Good for her.”
Behar has been critical of Underwood before.
The View co-hosts discuss trending news topics, so it’s no surprise that they had a conversation about Underwood’s inauguration performance last year. While Goldberg defended Underwood’s decision to perform there, Behar argued that performing at Trump’s inauguration helped “normalize” him, and she could not support that.
“I wouldn’t do it — even though I cannot sing,” Behar said at the time. “I would not normalize him.” Behar also critiqued the statement Underwood made about her decision to perform. “She says, ‘I love our country.’ How do you love your country and support and normalize somebody who was a convicted felon, who really wants to destroy the country, in my opinion?”
Meanwhile, Goldberg had said, “I stand behind her. Because if I believe I have the right to make up my mind to go perform some place, I believe [other people have] the same right. I have to support. It doesn’t mean I’m particularly interested. I won’t be watching, but that’s me.”
Apparently, Behar’s absence during the interview was due to a “production decision.”
Per Entertainment Weekly, it’s not unusual for some co-hosts to miss out on interviews involving multiple guests. There’s only so much space at the table, after all. Behar later returned at the end of the show. But even if it was a “production decision,” some people still wondered if Behar’s opinions and values played a role.
Because, sure, they needed extra space for the interview subjects, which seems like the perfect way to get out of the interview if you would rather not be there. Others said if they were in Behar’s position, they would definitely volunteer to leave the room. “I would feel no need to meet Carrie Underwood,” one Redditor wrote. “I’d sit this one out too.” Someone else said, “More should boycott this trumper.”
Perhaps Behar’s absence had nothing to do with Underwood’s apparent politics, but a lot of people are still bothered by Underwood’s inauguration performance. “Underwood said she did it for patriotism and unity, but Trump is not a patriot, his interests lie in himself,” one critic wrote. “…Singing for his inauguration legitimizes bigotry, divisiveness, and zealotry. There is no excuse, no matter how Underwood tries to explain it.” Even on a clip from the interview that The View shared on Instagram, another person said, “I won’t watch American Idol as long as Carrie Underwood is a judge. She has been clear where she stands.”
Some people were actually disappointed that Behar wasn’t there for this reason. Someone else noted, “I wish they asked her about performing at the inauguration … where was Joy to ask the important questions?”
READ NEXT: Carrie Underwood’s Back in the Spotlight But She’s No Longer ‘America’s Sweetheart’
