- Joy married her first husband, Joseph Behar, in 1965 when she was 23 years old
- The TV host recalled that they “never went to third base” for fear that she would become pregnant
- Roe v. Wade was introduced in 1973 and protected a woman’s right to an abortion
The View’s Joy Behar revealed she didn’t have sex before marrying her first husband because she was afraid of getting pregnant when abortions were still illegal – but that didn’t stop the young lovers from “making out like crazy.”
Joy, 81, said she was a “technical virgin” when she married 23-year-old Joseph Behar in 1965 – eight years before the landmark Roe v. Wade decision in January 1973, in which the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of a protected woman decided right to abortion.
Later in 2022 it was repealed, leaving one in three women living in states where abortion is not possible.
When asked if she thought she would see this on the ballot again in her lifetime, Joy told View’s Behind the Table podcast: “Well, one of the reasons I was a technical virgin when I got married , was that there was no Roe v. Wade gave.” In the sixties you had to wait until the seventies for that.
The View’s Joy Behar has revealed that she didn’t have sex before marrying her first husband in 1965 for fear of becoming pregnant
Joy was just 23 years old when she married college professor Joe Behar in 1965
The comedian married her second husband, Steve Janowitz, in 2011 after being together for 29 years
“Not that it made much difference because I was a very good little Catholic girl!”
She continued, “Even though I had a boyfriend and we made out like crazy, we never actually went to third base until we got married.”
“I was very young,” Joy said of her time with Joseph, to whom she was married until 1981. The couple had one child together, a daughter named Eve.
“Kids are having sex now at 17, that was very young for me,” Joy continued as Brian replied: “Ahhhhh, I think 17… that gives them a lot of recognition, I think it’s younger.”
Regarding the repeal of Roe V. Wade, Joy said, “It’s ridiculous, we’re going backwards!”
Joy’s discussion comes as abortion rights advocates won major victories in Ohio, Kentucky and Virginia this week.
When asked if she has any “hope” that red states will vote for abortion rights, she replied, “I can’t believe it’s even a problem!” It’s been stated, it’s been said, it’s been said done, let it be!
“And stay away from my womb!” The question is: Why do these men have to get involved with women’s bodies? Nobody tells you what to do with your genitals!’
Joy, who married her second husband Steve Janowitz in 2011, had previously spoken about how she could have died from an ectopic pregnancy in 1979 if she had not been given the right to terminate the pregnancy.
The 81-year-old spoke about her first marriage with executive producer Brian Teta on the latest episode of The View podcast
Joy is no stranger to discussing her first marriage and her personal life on The View
“In 1979, I had an ectopic pregnancy… and almost died,” she told The View last August. “The next day the doctor said, ‘We almost lost you.'”
Joy continued: “The fetus grows in the fallopian tube and there is no way out. “You can’t give birth from your fallopian tube and the fetus won’t grow.
“It just grows, but not to full maturity.” So it grows just enough that the tube bursts, which then causes you to bleed internally and then die.
“They rushed me to the hospital. The doctor the next day said we almost lost you. “I was in a situation where I was able to go to the hospital and they took care of it there.”
An ectopic pregnancy is a serious medical emergency that can be life-threatening and occurs when a fertilized egg implants and grows outside the main cavity of the uterus. It is the most common cause of death in the first trimester of pregnancy.