Joy Behar Leaving The View After 16 Years

"It seemed like the right time," Behar says of her wxit from the ABC daytime talk show. "You reach a point when you say to yourself, Do I want to keep doing this?"

By Tierney Bricker Mar 07, 2013 11:25 PMTags
Joy BeharBOB D'AMICO/ABC

After sitting at the table for over 16 years, Joy Behar is ready to leave The View.

The ABC daytime talk show host's contract is up in August and she has informed the network that she will not be returning, a rep for The View confirms to E! News, saying, "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."

Behar's rep also confirmed the news, adding, "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."

"It seemed like the right time," Behar explained to Deadline, who broke the news of her exit. "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."

Aside from Barbara Walters, who is also the show's cocreator and executive producer, Behar is last original castmember on the talk show.

Of leaving The View, Behar said, "I have a lot of friends there, and I will miss everyone I've worked with because we have a family there."

Behar, who currently has her own show Joy Behar: Say Anything on CurrentTV,  is interested in hosting a new 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."