After receiving nationwide criticism and getting called out by Vice President Mike Pence himself, ‘The View’ has responded to the backlash regarding Joy Behar’s offensive remarks about Christianity.
“It’s one thing to talk to Jesus. It’s another thing when Jesus talks to you. That’s called mental illness if I’m not correct,” said Behar, commenting specifically on Pence’s faith practices.
“It’s just wrong,” said Pence of the irreverent joke in an interview with Axios. “And it’s an insult not to me, but to the vast majority of the American people who, like me, cherish their faith. My Christianity is the most important thing in my life.”
After Pence’s reply went viral and ABC News received over 25,000 complaint calls by offended viewers, Behar seemingly had no choice but to face the American people and address her controversial statement.
Co-host Whoopi Goldberg opened the discussion in asking Behar, “Do you think Christians are mentally ill?”
“Well, I mean that would make me mentally ill since I’m a Christian myself,” Behar replied. “That would make my mother mentally ill, my father, my aunts…”
“I don’t mean to offend people, but apparently I keep doing it,” she said, writing the remarks off as a joke. “It was a joke. Comedians are in danger these days.”
“I’m a Christian. I give money to the church,” Behar continued in her defense. “You know, I actually help Christians with my pocketbook, so I’m not insulting Christians.”
While no actual apology was issued from Behar, her conservative Christian co-host, Meghan McCain, did not shy away from doing so.
“I’ve had a very hard time over the last two days with this,” McCain admitted. “My in-laws are evangelical. My entire family are devoutly Christian.”
“As a Republican,” said McCain, “I feel like sometimes liberals say, ‘We need to be tolerant of everyone, we need to be tolerant of everyone except pro-lifers, except Trump supporters, except gun owners, except for everyone in the red in the middle of the country.'”
Not wanting to fuel further debate surrounding “intolerance,” Goldberg cut McCain off at that point, prompting her to finish “quickly.”
“I think we would all like to collectively move forward,” McCain said in wrapping up. “I am a great admirer of Mike Pence and his family. I would like to apologize to him and his family, in particular. This is a show where we respect one another and we respect everyone else in the country.”
See more from ‘The View’ panel’s discussion in response to Behar’s comments below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRH-Wn_zWbU
