Fitness trainer Jillian Michaels unleashed a blistering attack on The View co-host Joy Behar during a recent episode of her podcast, branding the longtime ABC personality a b***h multiple times and accusing her of harboring resentment rooted in Behars own health and weight struggles.
The exchange unfolded on the Actual Friends podcast Friday as Michaels cut in while co-host Dr. Drew Pinsky was criticizing Behars rhetoric on the daytime talk show. According to Western Journal, Michaels claimed her negative view of Behar dates back more than a decade, to the period when she was a high-profile coach on NBCs The Biggest Loser, a role she officially exited in 2014.
Joys a b***h! Shes such a b***h, and shes been a b***h for years. I used to deal with her back in the Biggest Loser days when she would go after me because she was overweight and unhealthy and just a crotchety old b***hy broad, Michaels said, arguing that Behars on-air barbs were driven by personal insecurity rather than principle. And shes a b***h. And shes always been a b***h. Sorry, doc.
Michaels comments tap into a broader conservative criticism of The View, whose hosts routinely lean left and often use the program as a platform to attack Republicans, traditional values and President Donald Trump. The shows tone has long alienated right-of-center viewers, who see it as emblematic of a media culture that mocks dissenting viewpoints while cloaking itself in the language of womens empowerment.
Even some liberals have questioned whether the program is a healthy representation of womens voices in public life. For instance, comedian Bill Maher suggested on his Club Random podcast in August 2025 that the all-female cast of the show was not an ideal representation of women.
I love Whoopi [Goldberg] and Joy, those are the two I really know. And I did it like a year ago and I liked everybody, Maher said, before questioning whether the panel truly reflects the best of female leadership in the culture. But like, I dont know if theyre really, at this moment, the best advertisement for women.
Maher went on to argue that the hosts commentary can be politically damaging, particularly for Democrats who already struggle with persuading moderate voters. They say some things that are just, like, not helpful, like, say, to elections, he added.
The HBO host has confronted Behar directly as well, challenging her willingness to shield President Joe Biden from criticism. Maher appeared on The View in May 2024 and told Behar that she was losing credibility by self-censoring criticisms of then-President Joe Biden.
Im nervous about saying anything against Biden because I feel, not that I have so much power and you have some more than I do obviously. Are you afraid that might influence people who are on the fence? Behar asked, openly admitting she holds back for partisan reasons. I think you lose all credibility. I do. I mean, my bond with my audience has always been [that] I dont pull a punch, Maher said. My bond with my audience is youre not gonna like everything I say, but you know Im saying what I really think is true.
Republicans, meanwhile, have increasingly treated The View as hostile territory rather than a venue for genuine debate. Moreover, Republican Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy said on The Benny Show in November 2025 that he had no intention of appearing on The View.
I will not be going on The View. In fact, my version of hell is being required to watch reruns of The View for the rest of eternity, Kennedy said, summing up the disdain many conservatives feel toward the programs relentless left-wing framing. I have no interest in going on, the senator added. Id rather be poked in the eye with a sharp stick.
That perception of bias is not merely anecdotal. The View had not hosted any conservative, pro-President Donald Trump guests in 2025 as of July 30, the Media Research Center found.
Producers did, however, briefly bring in a right-leaning voice as part of the rotating cast. However, Savannah Chrisley, an outspoken Trump supporter, was one of the guest hosts on The View in February during co-host Alyssa Farah Griffins maternity leave.
Michaels outburst, Mahers warnings about lost credibility and Kennedys outright refusal to appear all point to the same underlying reality: The View has become a symbol of a media ecosystem that talks constantly about diversity while shutting out genuine ideological diversity. For many conservatives, the shows treatment of Trump supporters, its reluctance to challenge Democratic leaders and its hostility toward dissenting guests only reinforce the sense that mainstream television is less interested in honest conversation than in enforcing a progressive party line.
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