Joy Behar Leaving The View: Host to Quit Show After 16 Years

Joy Behar, host of ABC's popular morning show The View, is leaving her post after 16 years — reported E! Behar's contract is up in August, and, according to a rep from the show, she has informed ABC that she will not be returning for a new season.

"Joy Behar has been instrumental in the success of The View from the very beginning. We wish her all the best in this next chapter, and are thrilled that we have her for the remainder of the season," reads the official statement. 

"Joy felt that 17 years on one show was enough. She loved the View but felt that finding a home that would allow her to engage in more meaningful conversations was a direction she wanted to pursue. She should be announcing a new venture in the coming months," reads a statement issued by Behar's rep. 

"It seemed like the right time," Behar herself told Deadline. "You reach a point when you say to yourself, 'Do I want to keep doing this?' There are other things on my plate I want to do — I've been writing a play, I've been neglecting my standup."

Behar, who currently has her own show Joy Behar: Say Anything on CurrentTV, said she's still interested in hosting a new talk show in the future. "I do like talk shows, I'm interested in talking to people," she said. "I want to do an intelligent talk show where you have room to breathe," she added.