Joy Behar joined the show “The View” back in 1997 when it first launched. She has been on the show longer than any other cohost, and that includes Barbara Walters who started the show and who Behar had to audition for in order to land the job in the first place.

While Behar has been on the show longer than anyone else, she hasn’t been on the show for every episode. In fact, she was fired from the show in 2013 because the show’s executives thought it would be a better show if it were less political. Ratings plummeted without Behar at the table, so she was hired back in 2015. Except for taking a break to self isolate during the start of the pandemic, Behar has been with the show ever since.

All good things must come to an end, and there are rumors that Behar might retire from the show in the summer of 2022. The rumors were started by Behar herself when she was interviewed for the book “Ladies Who Punch: The Explosive Inside Story of ‘The View.’” During the interview for the book with Variety’s Ramin Setoodeh, Behar pondered if she would retire when her contract is up.

In the book, Behar explained, “I have a three-year contract, but that doesn’t mean I can’t leave if I want to, because they can’t really do anything to me at this point. I don’t see myself staying for more [time]. That’s it! I could be wrong. If I’m as fabulous in [2022] as I am now, I’ll think about. But the chances of that happening…” After a pause, Behar continued, “You know, time marches on. I’m not a kid.”

It’s now 2022, and summer is almost here, which means Behar’s contract is almost up. Will she renew it or will she retire? That’s yet to be seen, but she did address the question during an episode of “The View.” During the episode, Behar explained, “What I did say to the reporter who reported this was: ‘If I’m as fabulous in 2022 as I am now, I’ll probably be here.’ You just don’t know.” She added, “No one knows what they’re going to do in the next two years… you can’t predict anything. But as of now, as of today, the answer is no. I’m going nowhere.” Behar added, “Where am I going to go? What will I do? I need to be on television.”

An ABC network representative denied that Behar plans to retire. The rep said, “Joy was asked what happens at the end of her contract and as she herself made clear in the interview, if she’s ‘as fabulous in [2022] as I am now,’ she will be in her seat at the table.”

Do you think Behar will renew her contract or retire? Do you think she’s “as fabulous” now as she was in 2020?