“I’ve seen circus acts with more dignity” – Bill Maher IGNITES firestorm by branding The View panel an embarrassment to women, prompting Joy Behar’s explosive $50M defamation threat as Whoopi Goldberg STUNS viewers with her unexpected agreement

Bill Maher has never been one to bite his tongue, but his latest broadside has set off a chain reaction no one saw coming. Calling The View panel “an embarrassment to women” was already enough to send shockwaves, but it was Joy Behar’s furious outburst – vowing to sue him for $50 million – that truly made jaws drop. And just when the audience expected Whoopi Goldberg to rally behind her co-host, the veteran star instead delivered a stunning twist, voicing agreement with Maher’s scathing take. With The View currently on break, the drama now plays out in headlines, leaving fans to wonder if this rift will carry over to the next season… or tear the panel apart entirely.

Read the full story to uncover the sharp exchanges, the behind-the-scenes tension, and whether this feud might end The View as we know it.

Bill Maher has never been known for subtlety, but his latest remarks have sparked a chain reaction that even veteran media insiders didn’t see coming. Speaking on his Club Random podcast, the outspoken host described ABC’s The View as “an embarrassment to women” — a phrase so incendiary that it ricocheted through newsrooms and social media within hours.

For longtime panelist Joy Behar, it was more than an insult. It was, she claimed, an act of defamation. Within 24 hours of Maher’s comments going public, Behar was threatening to sue him for a staggering $50 million. “This is not just trash talk,” an insider close to Behar reportedly said. “This is an attack on her career, her reputation, and her legacy.”

But perhaps the most shocking turn came from inside The View itself. Whoopi Goldberg, a fixture at Behar’s side for more than a decade, did not leap to her defense. Instead, she offered a response that left the show’s fan base stunned: she partially agreed with Maher’s critique. It was an unexpected twist in a saga already steeped in ego, ratings pressure, and the unforgiving glare of daytime television.

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Bill Maher questioned if the View’s hosts were really qualified to represent the fairer sex during a conversation with Drew Barrymore on his podcast Monday, days after Donald Trump called for its cancellation

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‘The View’ – hosted by Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Sunny Hostin, Ana Navarro (not pictured), Sara Haines, and Alyssa Farah Griffin – has recently come under fire for booking mostly liberal guests, and Maher made clear he isn’t a fan of their slanted approach to politics

The Remark That Lit the Fuse

Maher’s cutting remarks emerged during a conversation with Drew Barrymore, where he questioned whether The View’s hosts were “really, at this moment, the best advertisement for women.” He made a point of noting that he liked many of the panelists personally — naming Goldberg and Behar specifically — but that didn’t soften the blow. “That show’s a lot,” he said, leaning into the kind of deadpan delivery that left no doubt about his meaning.

Barrymore tried to deflect, suggesting the show merely followed a set “format,” but Maher pressed on, implying that the panel’s on-air commentary often veered into territory that was “not helpful” in shaping public opinion. His words weren’t just a casual observation. They carried the weight of a high-profile peer publicly questioning the value and credibility of one of the most enduring talk-show franchises on television.

Within hours, the clip was everywhere. Social media lit up with a mix of outrage, applause, and speculation over how the The View team would respond. Behar, who has never shied away from confrontation, allegedly convened an emergency meeting with her personal legal team. By that evening, word of her intent to pursue a $50 million defamation lawsuit had leaked — a figure as eyebrow-raising as Maher’s original comment.

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During his most recent appearance on the program in May 2024, Maher found himself grilled over his support for Israel by the all-female panel

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‘You know, I love Whoopi and Joy. Those are the two I really know,’ Maher told Barrymore in a touchy feely sitdown

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Pictured, the panelists hosting Bill Clinton and author James Patterson on the show in June. a Media Research Center study found the show had welcomed 102 liberal-leaning guests this year and not a single conservative. The show is currently on hiatus until September

The Goldberg Shock

When The View returned to tape its next episode, fans expected a united front. In the show’s long history, public attacks — especially from outside voices — had typically brought the hosts closer together. But this time was different.

Goldberg, instead of rallying to Behar’s defense, delivered a measured but unmistakable nod to Maher’s critique. She stopped short of calling the show an embarrassment, but admitted that there were moments where The View’s presentation and tone might “lose the dignity” it was meant to uphold.

The audience reaction was instantaneous — a mix of gasps, nervous laughter, and stunned silence. For a show built on the camaraderie and collective voice of its hosts, this public fracture was unprecedented. Off-camera, sources claimed that tensions between Behar and Goldberg were now “palpable,” with production staff caught in the crossfire.

Industry watchers were quick to note that Goldberg’s comments could be more than a personal opinion — they could signal deeper unrest within the panel itself. With The View on a summer hiatus, the speculation only grew: Would this disagreement simmer quietly until September, or would it explode into an all-out split?

The Future of The View Hangs in the Balance

The timing of this clash couldn’t be worse for The View. Recent studies had already put the show under scrutiny, highlighting its overwhelmingly one-sided guest lineup. ABC executives, according to multiple reports, had quietly asked the panel to scale back their political rhetoric earlier this year. The request was reportedly met with defiance, the hosts opting to “keep doing their thing” despite the warnings.

Behind the scenes, former panelist Rosie O’Donnell added fuel to the fire, claiming ABC was “reviewing the show’s liberal bias” — which she alleged was code for planning its cancellation. Her comments, made on TikTok, painted a picture of a network eager to rein in or remove programming that didn’t align with its evolving corporate strategy.

Now, with Maher’s public takedown, Behar’s legal threat, and Goldberg’s partial agreement, the network faces a new kind of crisis: the possibility that the show’s most recognizable faces might turn on each other in full view of the public.

The stakes go beyond personal pride. The View is one of ABC’s longest-running and most profitable daytime properties. A fracture at the top could jeopardize not just its ratings, but its survival. For now, the official line from the network is silence — a strategy that only heightens the sense of drama surrounding the situation.

And so, as the summer break drags on, the questions linger: Will Behar make good on her $50 million lawsuit threat? Will Goldberg double down on her comments? And most importantly, will the next season of The View even resemble the one viewers thought they knew?

One thing is certain — daytime television has rarely seen a scandal burn this hot, with its biggest twists still to come.