The View’s Joy Behar brings up co-host Sara Haines’ same-sex college romance on air

The View's Joy Behar and Sara Haines

The View’s Joy Behar has seemingly revealed, live on air, that her co-host Sara Haines had a lesbian romance while at college.

Behar, who faced a backlash in 2021 for telling LGBTQ+ people to “just come out” to their family on Thanksgiving, was on the Behind the Table podcast on Wednesday (30 October) when she interrupted co-host Whoopi Goldberg, who was previewing Haines’ appearance alongside her parents, and revealed the college romance. 

“I have to ask her a question,” Behar said, turning to Haines. “Are you going to bring up that lesbian relationship you said you had, back at Smith [College]?”

Haines laughed as the other hosts sat in shock, before replying: “Dad, earmuffs, earmuffs… it’s a good thing my dad doesn’t always watch… but now he does.”

Joy Behar has faced criticism after telling queer people to come out at Thanksgiving
Joy Behar seemed to reveal a secret about one of her co-hosts. (Santiago Felipe/Getty Images)

Haines has been married to lawyer Max Shifrin since 2014. She attended Smith College, in Massachusetts, which is famously a women’s liberal arts institution. 

It isn’t the first time Behar has spoken about same-sex relationships on the show. In June, she was asked by queer comedian Sandra Bernhard if she had ever “gotten it on with a lady”. Behar responded: “No, but some day I will,” adding that it might be when she is in her nineties. She is now 82.

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Behar won a GLAAD award in 2010 for her work in amplifying stories of LGBTQ+ people and community issues on her own talk show. 

That same year, The Joy Behar Show was nominated for a separate GLAAD award for an episode featuring screenwriter Dustin Lance Black speaking about his Mormon upbringing as a gay man.

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