Sweater, Alice + Olivia ($187). 56 Jobs Lane, Southampton; aliceandolivia.com. Tank ($48) and linen pants ($155), Vince. Intermix, 87 Main St., East Hampton; intermixonline.com. Earrings, Christopher Kaufmann ($15,000). 37B Main St., East Hampton; christopherkaufmannjewelry.com. Green gold vermeil bracelet, Vaubel ($1,425). Jennifer Miller, 28 Jobs Lane, East Hampton; jennifermiller.com. Hippie glam ring, Tamara Comolli ($5,290). 27 Main St., Southampton; tamaracomolli.com. Checkers pitcher, Eve Behar Ceramics (price on request). evebeharceramics.com
We see a lot of famous faces around the Hamptons. Ther are hot-shot tycoons, the movie stars, the society scions, even the flashes in the pop-culture pan who draw headlines for unsavory behavior But it's good to konw that we can always count on Joy Behar to ass some fabulousness to the fray. Outspoken, engaging and always a lasy, she's risen to notoriety by working hard, using her brain and being true to herself.
Since 1997, Behar has been a fixture on the daytime talk show The View, delving into both light and lofty issues alongside the show’s cocreator Barbara Walters and current cohosts Whoopi Goldberg, Sherri Shepherd and Elisabeth Hasselbeck. The View’s long-term appeal is similar to Behar’s own success: It pulls no punches and says what needs to be said, yet it has ample fun as it dissects the news of the day. Behar admits she’s humbled by the enduring success of the show, nearing its 15th year on the air. “There was no way to know that something like this was going to happen,” enthuses the accomplished comedian, actress and New York Times best-selling author. “It’s women having intelligent conversations. Sometimes we can get silly, but that’s just how conversation goes. We’re like siblings on the air. We disagree on camera, but once the red light goes off, Elisabeth and I will say to each other, ‘Where’d you get that top?’”
Be it heated debates between cohosts or headlinegrabbing interviews, such as President Obama’s recent appearance, The View has been a cultural phenomenon. “I think it’s funny that people were making a stink about Obama coming on our show, saying it would be fluffy,” she says. “No one talked about it being fluffy after it aired. He was very thoughtful, even though he’s very professorial at the same time. I think he was handed one of the worst platters of problems of any president, and it seems he’s truly planning for the future.”
One high-profile show would be enough to keep most people busy, but not Behar, who insists that she thrives on a little tension. (“I have to have some stress going on, otherwise I’d put my head in the oven.”) Every evening, she hosts a cross-section of provocateurs and celebrities on her news program, The Joy Behar Show, on CNN’s sister station, HLN. “That show allows me to pick up things I want to explore from The View, and do so in a more in-depth way,” she says. “Because we use satellites, we have access to a lot of interesting people.” In her signature style, Behar laughs alongside her HLN guests, yet stands her ground when it’s time to ask tough questions. “I don’t concentrate on taking people to task, but I have a sense of what’s real and what’s not,” she says. “I’ve been like that since I was a kid. No one ever told me to shut up. That’s why I went into stand-up, to shoot my mouth off.”
