Joy Behar Waited 29 Years to Marry Retired School Teacher 7 Years Younger than Her
After her first marriage failed, Joy Behar fell in love again, but it took her over thirty years to tie the knot with her current, younger spouse. The TV personality revealed the unexpected subject that causes them the most disagreements in their relationship in an open podcast interview.
Joy Behar, who was born on October 7, 1942, is 82 years old today! Behar began “The View,” a daytime talk show, as one of the initial panelists in 1997 and has been a co-host ever since. But in previous years, she had a brief absence from the performance.
The comic was fired in 2013, but she came back the following year. Later, after leaving the wildly popular ABC show, Behar said, “I was happy to be fired.” I don’t really remember why, but at that point, I was basically tired of the show.”
The TV personality added that neither they nor the network knew why she had been dismissed at the time, nor why she had been taken off the air for two years. “That was incredibly naive of them. However, they took the lesson to heart,” the actress said.
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The New Yorker went on to say that she had agreed to a contract extension and would be a regular fixture on “The View” for a while. “I don’t intend to retire,” she declared.
Behar said, “I’m happy to be a part of it,” but she acknowledged that she still finds it hard to believe how popular the show has become. Thus, no, I’m not leaving. It’s enjoyable for me.
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In October 2023, the redhead celebrated her 81st birthday on “The View”. But at the time, she disliked making a big deal out of her special day.
Co-host Ana Navarro noted that she is aware that Behar dislikes discussing her birthday throughout the show, and Sunny Hostin remarked that she didn’t appear thrilled. Behar interjected, stating:
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“Excitement escapes me. Just that I’m alive, that’s all. You know, there comes a time when you wake up in the morning and tell yourself, “My God, I’m still here.”
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In addition to being a well-liked television figure, Behar is a mother, a grandmother, and the daughter of two marriages. She dated him for about three decades before to getting married, and he is several years her junior.
Steve Janowitz, Behar’s second spouse, is a former educator. The couple dated for 29 years before getting married in August 2011. Janowitz and Behar dressed in matching ensembles on their special day. She wore a short-sleeved black dress, and he wore a black suit with a white shirt underneath and a bow tie.
Behar once revealed a more intimate aspect of their relationship, including what causes the greatest disagreements. On May 8, 2024, Behar talked about how, despite their infrequent arguments, she and Janowitz always dispute about the same thing: the automobile. This was covered in an edition of the “Behind the Table” podcast.
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She disclosed that Janowitz has autoimmune problems, which make him a notorious backseat and front-seat driver. “First of all, it’s always about the car,” she said. Behar claimed, “He’s always criticizing how I drive,” adding that their 40 years of dating had left her anxious behind the wheel.
She told a funny story about how she had left her car in drive and forgot to take it out of drive, which resulted in her unintentionally crashing into a farm stand. As soon as I stepped out of the car, it began to roll down and ended up in the farm stand. It was already too late. It was blight on tomatoes. That farm stand is out of my reach right now. Thus, that only occurred once,” she continued.
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In April 2024, the pair went on a ten-day trip to Italy, which Behar half-jokingly acknowledged was “too much closeness.”
When they got back, the tension came up again during a straightforward lunch date. Behar clarified that Janowitz turned down her invitation to drive her Mini Cooper, stating, “I’m not getting in that car with you.”
“Listen, I’ll take my car, you take yours; I’ll meet you there,” Behar said, but Janowitz wasn’t fond of that plan. He gave in eventually and got into her car. Still, the tension persisted, and at lunch they hardly spoke except from Janowitz giving directions on how to drive.
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“I told you, ‘I’m tired of you making fun of me for driving. I’m done. Recounting the incident, Behar said that Janowitz was forced to keep issuing instructions such as “Hit the brake” and “Make a turn here.” She said, “Normally I don’t really care, but it’s too much together.”
Behar verified that, in the end, despite the stress, Janowitz tried to diffuse the situation by breaking the silence.
Behar has talked publicly about her marriage to Janowitz before. In just one month following her marriage, she made an appearance on “ABC News.” When asked if she felt like a bride during the interview, the “Love Is All There Is” actress joked, saying:
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Do I appear to you to be a brushing bride? The years have elapsed.
When asked if she thought she was still in her honeymoon phase, Behar answered negatively. After dating for a long time, the Hollywood star believed that marrying her true love was all that was required of her.
The TV personality was also questioned about the key to a long-term relationship. She claims that because they are not sensitive individuals, none of them takes offense at comments made about the other when they are together.
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Behar went on to say that Janowitz is a good-humored man and that, in an effort to keep her relationship with him from being ruined, she didn’t reveal her comic status to him during their first year of dating.
According to her, how they perceive one another also matters. In an interview conducted a year after Behar’s marriage, the question of why she and Janowitz had waited so long to get married was posed. She stated, “We waited so long because I had been married before, and I didn’t really see the point.”
The “Hall Pass” actress made a joke, “We did it for the sex,” but then she said that it was really because, as she gets older, she wanted someone who can support her “emotionally and legally” in the event of an emergency.
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As of October 2021, Janowitz is seven years younger than his well-known spouse, Behar, as she disclosed in a “The View” episode. “It’s really paying off at this point,” she continued. After 13 years of marriage, the pair is together.
Behar is not just a wife but a mother as well. She received their only child together, daughter Eve Behar, in November 1970 with her ex-husband, television director Joseph Behar, with whom she was married from 1965 to 1981.
During an appearance on “Anderson Live” in November 2011, the mother-of-one, who is now a grandma, proudly displayed her daughter with her husband, Alphonso Scotti, and the couple’s son, Luca.
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Behar was all smiles as she talked about her eight-month-old grandson, calling him “brilliant” and communicative already.
Regarding Luca’s mother, she creates unique, handcrafted pottery. She posted a family reunion shot and offered her Instagram followers a sneak peek at her art exhibition in August 2023.
Luca, who is currently a teenager, appears to be a grown man in the photo. Sitting next to his dad and grandparents, he smiled for the camera as he posed. He was seen with his cherished grandmother in another solitary picture.
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Additionally, Eve posted pictures of the guests from the art event. The stunning blonde posted a photo to social media with the remark, “Scenes from an art opening.”
She ended the tweet with, “Thank you to #juliekeyes #juliekeyesgallery for a wonder [sic] opportunity to show my new work,” and invited her followers, if they were interested, to visit the event in Sag Harbor, a community in Long Island, New York.
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Despite occasional arguments, Joy Behar’s marriage to Steve Janowitz is still a source of fun and support in her life, even as her career and personal lives continue to flourish.
Behar finds solace in their relationship, which was developed over years of mutual respect and laughter, even in the face of the pressures of her public persona and professional life.