‘The View’s Joy Behar on Woody Allen, the Co-Host Known as ‘Attila the Hun’ and, of Course, Donald Trump

The tension is gone. The conversation is enticing. The ratings are up. Have you taken a little time to enjoy The View? Joy Behar weighs in on the state of ABC’s once-troubled talk show.

The View still mixes hardheaded liberals and conservatives, but there’s no more seething hostility. What’s different?
We all get along. Miraculously. The problem with the show was never about differing opinions. It was all about the personalities and how annoying certain people were. Of course, we have less to argue about when it comes to Trump. None of us want him in the White House. Not even Elisabeth Hasselbeck would have argued with that.

Were you shocked when ABC asked you to return?
I was like, “Really?” And then I said, “You gotta make the show smarter or I’m not coming back.” And they did. That’s what I appreciate about these new executives who are running things now. They are really trying to make The View intelligent and it’s working. Look at the numbers.

An added bonus: Five women are no longer shouting at once.
I can’t stand that damn overtalk. But that was because of the people we had at the table at the time. So let’s see…who’s missing that was causing that? [Laughs] The more this interview goes on, the more I’m going to get in trouble.

Well, let’s switch to a safer topic: Star Jones! Her fictional tell-all, Satan’s Sisters, inspired by her years on The View, is going to be a VH1 series. Are you sweating bullets?
Are you kidding me? I’m dying to see it. Vanessa Williams is playing Star. I love Star…but that’s a stretch.

One day on the show, Candace Cameron-Bure—the staunch conservative in the group—said you and the other cohosts are careful about what you say around her. Are you afraid of offending her?
She’s very religious and a very sweet girl and I like her a lot. I don’t like to beat her up or bombard her with my position but I assure you Candace is not some kind of fragile flower from A Streetcar Named Desire. She’s tough. Elisabeth Hasselbeck was hardly Blanche DuBois, either. More like Attila the Hun.

Can you please make Raven-Symoné stay in her frickin’ seat? An entire nation would be grateful.
I’d like to staple her to that chair! It’s like she has jumping beans in her pants.

You’re costarring with Miley Cyrus and Lewis Black in Woody Allen’s upcoming Amazon series, which is very hush-hush. What can you spill?
Nothing. I don’t want to get Woody mad. You know how he is. I don’t even know the title. They’re calling it “Spring Project.” But the script is very funny. I was in Woody’s movie Manhattan Murder Mystery in the ’90s. He asked if I would do his series and I said yes. It was that easy. People are just so happy to work for him. [Laughs] And to work for nothing.

You never badmouthed Woody back when everyone else was? Is that how you stayed on his good side?
I never said bad stuff about him. It just never came up. Lucky for me!

Do you want to do more acting?
I’m busy on The View, plus I live in New York. I’m not available for all that Hollywood stuff.

You could be on Law & Order.
I’m a comedian. Law & Order is too serious for me. I won’t be going on there and winning an Emmy. Trust me.

On that topic, the Daytime Emmys are coming up May 1. Last year The View got snubbed in the nominations when all that backstage turmoil was happening. Now the show and the hosts are back in the race. Do you give a hoot?
Wait a minute! I did not get snubbed. I wasn’t on the show at the time, so let’s remember that. I’m not a big awards freak. When you find out what goes on behind the scenes at the Daytime Emmys—that there are only four people judging your category—it doesn’t really impress me. But it looks good on your resume. [Laughs]

Do you feel more freedom to air your political feelings on The View now that Barbara Walters is off the show? She always tried to stay on everyone’s good side, just in case she ever needed to interview them.
I never really felt restrained, though there were a couple of times when Barbara wanted to book somebody on the show—like Monica Lewinsky—and I really had to behave myself. And it wasn’t easy! For a comedian, Monica was the gift that kept on giving. The same goes for Trump and Lyin’ Ted and Little Marco. And why is Sarah Palin still in politics? Shouldn’t she be turning over letters on some quiz show by now? There’s always something going on in the government to make fun of. There’s always a sex scandal, like that Republican who got caught tap-tap-tapping in the men’s room. Remember him? And then there was the lunatic who said a woman’s body shuts down after rape in order to prevent pregnancy. It’s usually people on the right who say something stupid. And it’s gold.

Did you miss having an opportunity to air your gripes during that time when you were off The View?
Not really. I would just call up my friend, Susie Essman, and I’d bitch with her.

Susie has done several episodes of Law & Order.
What’s with you? I am not a dramatic actress! [Laughs] Do you want me to do the life of Eva Braun, just to keep you happy?

The View airs weekdays on ABC.