Joy Behar Returns to Receptionist Job at ‘Good Morning America’ 43 Years After Being Fired

Joy Behar took a trip down memory lane on the Friday, Nov. 14-episode of The View, returning to her very first ABC job in honor of Good Morning America’s 50th anniversary.

Long before she became a comedian and daytime TV mainstay, Behar worked as a receptionist at GMA from 1979 to 1982. She first handled general reception, then moved to the field department, but she was eventually fired— something she has quipped about for years.

In Friday’s segment, Behar, 83, walked viewers through her early days at the network.

“I think what makes a good receptionist is if you’re polite, if you have a malicious voice. You should be tactful, efficient. Pleasant to be around,” she said, before quipping, “I had none of those qualities.”

“That didn’t stop me from taking the job being a receptionist in 1979,” she added.

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According to Behar, the phones back then were constant chaos. “People called me with all sorts of questions that I couldn’t answer,” she said. “The calls would range from, ‘Can I have the recipe to Julia Childs’ soufflé?’ to ‘Where is Joan Lunden?’ ”

Former GMA anchor Lunden remembered those days just as vividly. “One day my assistant came into me and said to me, ‘Joan, I just heard her answer your line and she said to who knows who was on the phone, ‘Yeah, Joan Lunden is around here somewhere, lactating.’ Because I was breast-feeding my child at the time,” ” Lunden recalled with a laugh. “I thought it was pretty funny.”

ABC News Senior Executive Producer David Sloan also chimed in. “[Joy] would answer the phone, she would give you the message. There would be six digits on it,” he remembered. “I said, ‘Joy, phone numbers have seven digits.’ No apology, she would say, ‘Whatevs!’ ”

Behar joked that she was never meant to stay long. “You know, as far as I was concerned, they were lucky to have me there,” she said. “They knew that I was slated for bigger and better things, so they didn’t want to hold me back. That’s the spin.”

Sloan added with a laugh, “We finally let her go, she took all the office supplies with her.”

So for Friday’s anniversary celebration, Behar offered to pick up the job one more time. “I’m going back to GMA to be a receptionist for the day because who doesn’t like a side hustle?” she deadpanned. “By the way, am I getting paid for this?”

Back behind the desk, she quickly fell into old habits. One caller asked if she had the frittata recipe Rocco DiSpirito had shared earlier. “No, I’m sorry, I don’t. Look online, you’ll find it,” Behar replied, hanging up the phone and returning to her crossword puzzle.

Then, GMA Chief Meteorologist and Chief Climate Correspondent Ginger Zee stopped by with a request. “Could you do me a solid and type these notes up for our weather meeting?” Zee asked.

“Type?” Behar shot back. “I don’t really do that. I’m not a very good typist.”

“It’s easy stuff,” Zee said.

“I’ll give it to an intern,” Behar said — handing the assignment to GMA’s weekend co-anchor Gio Benitez, who stepped in after spotting her struggling. “She threw this at me,” Behar said. “‘Just type it up and give it to Ginger!’ ”

The segment also featured surprise cameos from Marilu Henner and Will Reeve, the latter who innocently asked if Behar could order him lunch. He instead received a different kind of direction.

“As much as I would like to help you, I cannot leave my desk,” she told him. “These calls keep coming in. So what I suggest is you go to the refrigerator over there. In the refrigerator is a sandwich called ‘George Stephanopoulos.’ Eat that.”

“I… hope he doesn’t mind,” a nervous Reeve replied. “I’ll tell him that Joy told me to.”

Eventually, after enough ringing phones, Behar decided she’d had her fill. “No, that’s it,” she said. “I’m getting out of here. I’m not answering it.”

Before leaving, she did exactly what Sloan remembered. She pulled out a tote bag and began sweeping items off the desk. “I have a home office I’m setting up now and I could use some of these supplies,” she said as a startled assistant tried to stop her. “They don’t need this. And what’s the big deal, look at this good stuff!”

As the other receptionist reached for the phone, Behar had one final tip to share. “If you don’t answer it, they stop calling.”

Leaving, she grabbed a tiny tinsel Christmas tree on her way out. “This I could use also,” Behar said. “It’s been a pleasure, goodbye!”

“It’s not even 2 o’clock yet!” her now former co-worker shouted back.

The View and Good Morning America air weekdays on ABC.