View Retracts Claws After Tiger "Hooker" Hoopla

Rep for femme-fueled chatfest issues apology in wake of Joy Behar's alleged defamatory joke about Rachel Uchitel; apologized for "any misimpression" the joke created

At least one Tiger-fueled catfight is officially over.

After becoming something of a hot topic themselves, the folks at The View have issued an apology to the first of Tiger Woods' alleged mistresses, Rachel Uchitel.

The forced mea culpa came a day after Joy Behar made a joke of the former club manager's last name, saying, "Uchitel she's a hooker."

While the phonetic pun isn't nearly as out-there as what Behar's late-night counterparts have been serving up, it is the joke that prompted Uchitel and her attorney, Gloria Allred, to demand a retraction, with the lawyer calling out the comment as "completely false," "defamatory," "highly offensive" and "hurtful."

And The View is really, truly sorry.

"Joy Behar made a play on Ms. Uchitel's name," a show publicist said in a statement. "This was intended as a joke. We sincerely apologize for the choice of words and for any misimpression the joke may have created."

Translation: Please don't sue!