‘The View’ shocker: Joy Behar will leave Barbara Walters’ talk show this summer

One of the reasons why “The View” has been so successful over the years has been the mere fact that the show has really managed to stay fairly consistent from one year to the next. There have only been a few changes in the panel over the course of the past decade, with the most notable one being the failed stint of Rosie O’Donnell has moderator (which is mostly remembered now for her feud with Donald Trump). So with all of this mind, we have to say that it is rather sad to hear that Joy Behar, the last original panelist away from creator Barbara Walters, is saying goodbye when her contract is up this summer.

In a new statement, ABC had the following to say in confirming the news that Behar (who will be free from many of her network responsibilities thanks to the end of her Current TV program) will be saying goodbye:

“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.”

Sadly, Behar has not talked about the news publicly as of this writing, but we have a feeling that this news will be addressed during the next airing of the daytime show. The good news about this coming out now is simply that Walters is going to have plenty of time in order to try and find a perfect replacement, and to test them alongside some of the other panelists before the show’s new season in fall.

This is the second major announcement in talk television this week, and it comes after the confirmation that “Piers Morgan Tonight” is undergoing a name change to “Piers Morgan Live.”

Photo: ABC