An unexpected backstage mishap changed the lineup of a familiar daytime program for Thursday’s broadcast.
Viewers got an explanation from the host filling in, along with a reassuring update about the injured colleague.
Joy Behar missed Thursday’s episode of “The View” after catching a heel backstage and dislocating her shoulder.
Sunny Hostin announced the injury at the start of the show while taking the center seat.
Whoopi Goldberg was also absent because she was away filming a movie, leaving both regular moderators unavailable.
Hostin told viewers that Behar was recovering and expected to return soon.
The studio audience gasped when Hostin disclosed that her fellow host had dislocated her shoulder.
Behar’s representative later told Page Six that the 83-year-old comedian should return around the middle of next week.
The representative said her shoulder was back in place and had not been broken.
That account offered a more specific picture than the initial announcement of a dislocated shoulder.
It also described Behar as eager to return to the table as quickly as she can.
The mishap happened backstage when she caught a heel, according to the statement from her representative.
The report did not specify exactly where backstage it happened or provide further details about the mishap.
It likewise did not describe additional injuries or a change to the expected return window.
Joy Behar, 83, misses ‘The View’ after suffering serious on-set injury https://t.co/jtqLSxCw8K pic.twitter.com/H6YkQxTTXy
— New York Post (@nypost) October 1, 2026
The immediate result was a reshuffle of the show’s usual hosting arrangement.
Hostin assumed the moderator’s role because Goldberg was away and Behar, her usual substitute, could not appear.
The shift put Hostin at the center of a panel she ordinarily joins as a co-host.
She kept the opening announcement brief and said their colleague would be back soon.
After explaining the situation, Hostin joked that she had inherited the job as “the next oldest” host.
She immediately softened the description, saying she preferred to call herself “seasoned.”
The light moment followed a health update that had plainly startled the audience.
Sara Haines, Ana Navarro, and Alyssa Farah Griffin joined Hostin at the table.
Guest host Sherri Shepherd was also part of Thursday’s panel.
Farah Griffin welcomed the temporary grouping, describing the women at the table as a squad.
The program’s social media account also posted well wishes for Behar after the shoulder injury.
Behar’s absence came with a specific explanation and an estimated return.
Her representative’s statement addressed viewers’ concern by saying the shoulder was back in place.
The update did not promise an exact date, leaving the middle of next week as an expectation.
Behar has been associated with “The View” since the talk show’s launch in 1997.
She has remained a fixture on the program apart from a two-season break.
That long tenure means even a single missed broadcast changes a lineup viewers have known for decades.
Her most recent extended absence was planned and unrelated to Thursday’s backstage injury.
In June, Behar spent two weeks away while traveling to London for her play, “My First Ex-Husband.”
She had pushed back then on descriptions of that trip as a hiatus, explaining that she was working.
The play, a comedy about marriage and divorce, had debuted off-Broadway in February 2025.
After returning from London, Behar spoke positively about how British audiences received the production.
Her current absence should be much shorter if the recovery estimate provided by her representative holds.
Goldberg’s film commitment explains why Hostin was needed to lead the show during the same episode.
The two absences occurred for different reasons, and the panel continued without either regular moderator.
For viewers, the clearest update is that Behar is recovering from a dislocation and hopes to return next week, E News reported.
Until then, Hostin is filling the center seat while the show’s longtime host heals.
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