“Joy Behar’s SNL Audition: A Tale of Laughter, or Lack Thereof”
Joy Behar revealed that she once tried out for Saturday Night Live, but the experience didn’t unfold quite as expected.
Joy Behar
During an episode of The View’s companion podcast, The View: Behind the Table, Behar, a comedian and co-host of ABC’s The View, disclosed that she auditioned for the iconic sketch comedy show’s cast back in 1975.
Recalling the audition, Behar recounted, “There was a period where I tried to get on because I had this funny character that I did. And I had to audition for [creator] Lorne Michaels. He never laughed, and after I was done, he said, ‘That was funny.’ I said, ‘You didn’t laugh,’ and he said, ‘Well, I don’t want to laugh because then you’ll think you have a job.’ I said, ‘That’s OK, don’t worry about it.’ I didn’t even want the job, to tell you the truth.”
The View producer Brian Teta chimed in, highlighting Michaels’ renowned tendency to refrain from laughter during SNL auditions. Despite this knowledge, Behar remarked that it was still “a little depressing to have to audition for somebody and they don’t laugh.”
Ultimately, Behar confessed that she wasn’t prepared for the stress that came with a job like SNL and secretly hoped she wouldn’t get hired. Fortunately, her wish came true, and she didn’t land the gig.
Following her stint as a stand-up comedian, Behar ventured into television and film, appearing in projects like Baby Boom in the 1980s and Manhattan Murder Mystery in 1993. She later became a fixture on The View, joining the show when it premiered in 1997 and serving as a panelist for nearly every season except for seasons 17 and 18. Although Behar departed from the talk show in 2013, she returned in 2015 after consultant Hilary Estey McLoughlin persuaded her to do so.
