Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

The Independent's journalism is supported by our readers. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn commission.

Joy Behar reveals she had an ectopic pregnancy in 1979 and ‘almost died’

“The doctor the next day said, ‘we almost lost you,’” the television host recalled.

Amber Raiken
New York
Thursday 04 August 2022 14:15 BST
Comments
Related: Joy Behar could retire from ‘The View’ any day now

Joy Behar has revealed that she had an ectopic pregnancy back in 1979 and “almost died” because of it.

On Wednesday’s episode of The View, the 79-year-old television host discussed abortion rights following the overturn of Roe v Wade in June with her co-hosts. During the conversation, Behar brought up her experience with an ectopic pregnancy, which occurred over 40 years ago, and how it affected her.

“I almost died,” she said, before explaining how an ectopic pregnancy occurs when the “foetus is growing in the fallopian tube and there is nowhere to go from that,” since the “foetus will not grow to full term”.

“It’ll grow just enough to make the tube burst,” she continued. “You bleed internally, and then you die.”

She went on to detail how she was “rushed to the hospital”.

“The doctor the next day said, ‘we almost lost you,’” she added. “Because I was in the situation where I could go to Beth Israel hospital and they took care of it there.”

When guest and former View host Elisabeth Hasselbeck asked Behar to clarify if she had “an abortion” or an “ectopic pregnancy,” the formerJoy Behar: Say Anything! host said that she did not have “an abortion” or a “miscarriage”.

During an ectopic pregnancy, “the fertilised egg can’t survive” in a fallopian tube, so if it isn’t treated, “the growing tissue may cause life-threatening bleeding,” notes the the Mayo Clinic.

Nearly ten years after her ectopic pregnancy, Behar welcomed her first child, Eve, now 51-years-old.

Also during the episode, Behar criticised Georgia Republican senate candidate Herschel Walker for supporting the Supreme Court’s decision to eliminate the constitutional right to get an abortion.

“What are these people thinking about when they talk about the health of the mother?” she asked. “Herschel Walker, people like that, they cannot be in positions of power.”

Along with Behar, multiple celebrities have spoken out against the overturn of Roe v Wade, some of which including Michelle Obama, Taylor Swift, Taraji P. Henson, and Selena Gomez.

Multiples stars have also shared their personal experiences with abortion, including Phoebe Bridgers, who said that she “went to Planned Parenthood” in October 2021 and received “the abortion pill”.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in