Yahoo Lifestyle “The View”'s Joy Behar says she was named after 'wacky' Italian grandmother who threatened to murder her own children
Behar explained the origin of her birth name, Josephine, in a wild revelation on the "Behind the Table" podcast.
The View cohost, lasagna queen, cell phone terrorist, and comedian Joy Behar has revealed she's named after her Italian grandmother who once threatened to kill herself and her own children.
The 82-year-old explained the origins of her name on Wednesday afternoon's edition of the Behind the Table podcast, telling View producer Brian Teta that her birth name, Josephine Victoria Occhiuto, is tied to her paternal grandma who lived in Turin, Italy.
"I was born Josephine, named after my father's mother, who was a little wacky, I understand," Behar recalled. "My grandfather decided to come to Brooklyn to visit his brother who was here."
ABC
Joy Behar on 'The View'That's where things got strange, she said.
"My grandfather didn't go back for several months. So, my grandmother, Josephine, sent him — I don't know, by pigeon or something — a note, saying, 'If you don't come back, I'm going to kill myself and the children.' Of which, there were three."
Behar confirmed, "that is who I am named after," before noting that her grandfather on her mother's side is the one who suggested that she be called Joy — which he communicated to her as "La Gioia" ("The Joy" in Italian).
Behar has a storied history with the people of Italy, as she revealed in April 2023 that she had a particularly bumpy encounter with an Italian woman aboard a train after the attendant wouldn't let her pee in the first-class lounge.
"The people are nice, here and there. I had to call one woman the b-word, but that's something else," Behar told her cohosts at the time.
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"I said it in English because she wouldn't let me pee in the first-class lounge. I said, 'Please, let me just go!'" Behar continued. "I said, 'Listen, don't be a bitch.' She wouldn't let me go."
The View airs weekdays at 11 a.m. ET/10 a.m. PT on ABC.
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255) or text Crisis Text Line at 741741.
