Let me tell you about The View cohost Joy Behar, who never holds back on the hit ABC talk show. She's been a part of the show since its very first season in 1997 and has shared some pretty personal moments with her fans. Joy, a comedian with a heart of gold, has been married twice—first to Joe Behar, and later to Steve Janowitz, her current partner since 2011. This is the story of how she found love again and built a life with the man she calls her husband.
How Joy Behar Met Steve Janowitz: A Love Story from the Unlikely Place
Joy Behar and her first husband, Joe, welcomed a daughter, Eve Behar, back in 1970. When that marriage ended, Joy didn’t let it keep her down for long. In a heartfelt moment during a March 2020 episode of The View, she opened up about meeting her second husband, Steve Janowitz, in the most unexpected way.
"You might not believe this about me, but I met my husband at a semi-nudist colony," Joy revealed to her cohosts on Baby Boom. "It's true!"
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The two crossed paths there, and later that night, they ran into each other again. This time, they hit it off. They officially started dating in 1982, embarking on a relationship that would last for 29 years before they finally tied the knot. Their decision to wait so long was partly influenced by their desire to see same-sex marriage legalized in New York. In August 2011, they made it official.
"It definitely had an impact on me," Joy explained during a September 2011 episode of The View. "It made me realize why same-sex couples needed the right to marry. And I thought, hey, it's a good reason for me to get married too. Steve felt the same way, so we did it!"
After their private ceremony in New York, Joy shared more about their journey to marriage during an appearance on the Rachael Ray Show. She revealed another reason they waited nearly three decades to take the plunge.
"I waited until all the parents were gone," Joy joked. "So, neither of us has any in-laws. Marriage, I've found, is often about dealing with in-laws. They're always inviting you over for lasagna or wanting you to visit. We skipped that part!"
Steve and Joy: A Relationship Full of Laughter and Romance
Just months after their wedding, in October 2011, Joy opened up to HuffPost about her relationship with Steve. "We're super romantic," she said with a smile. "We love to sit on the floor, eat cannoli, and watch Hoarders together." That's the kind of couple they are—playful, spontaneous, and full of humor.
Their playful dynamic continues to shine through. In March 2022, during a live taping of The View, Joy took a tumble on stage but handled it with grace. "My husband is probably laughing at home right now," she quipped, turning the moment into a joke.
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In May 2024, Joy gave fans an inside look at what they argue about the most, and it might surprise you. "It's always about the car," she revealed during The View's "Behind the Table" podcast. "Steve has some autoimmune issues, so when he's driving—or even in the backseat, which is terrifying—he turns into the ultimate backseat driver."
"Why am I not the world's greatest driver? Because I've been with him for 40 years, and he's turned me into a nervous wreck behind the wheel," she added with a laugh. "Once, I pulled into a farmstand, and I've been paying for it ever since!"
Joy also reflected on a recent trip to Italy they took during The View's spring break hiatus. "We were together for 10 days straight—just the two of us. It was a lot of closeness," she admitted. "Day and night, all the time. And then we come back, and it's still the same. We're together all weekend, day and night."
