Rachel Evans
Despite being mistaken for a Jew, Joy Behar is not Jewish. She was born into a Roman Catholic family of Italian descent and was raised Catholic. She is married to Steve Janowitz and was previously married to Joseph Behar, the son of Sephardic Jewish immigrants from Turkey. She has been described as having Jewish humour and has expressed her attraction for Jewish men. Behar now identifies as agnostic.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Josephine Victoria Occhiuto |
| Birth Name | Josephina Victoria Occhiuto |
| Birth Date | 7 October 1942 |
| Birth Place | Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York |
| Parents | Italian Catholic |
| Religion | Raised Catholic, now agnostic |
| Education | Bachelor's in sociology from Queens College (1964), Master's in English education from the State University of New York at Stony Brook (1966) |
| Profession | Comedian, television host, actress, and playwright |
| Notable Works | The View, The Joy Behar Show, Joy Behar: Say Anything!, Late Night Joy, Manhattan Murder Mystery, Joy Shtick — Or What Is the Existential Vacuum and Does It Come with Attachments? (book), Sheetzucacapoopoo: My Kind of Dog (children's book) |
| Partner | Steve Janowitz (partner since 1982) |
| Former Husband | Joseph Behar (married 1965-1981) |
| Children | Daughter, Eve (born 1975) |
| Ancestry | 92% Italy, 6% Turkey & the Caucasus, 2% Middle East |
Explore related products
What You'll Learn
Joy Behar's Catholic upbringing
Joy Behar, born Josephina Victoria Occhiuto, was born in 1942 in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York. She was born into a Roman Catholic family of Italian descent. Her mother, Rose Diane (Carbone), was a seamstress, and her father, Louis Ferdinand "Gino" Occhiuto, was a truck driver for Coca-Cola and a U.S. WWII veteran.
Behar has described herself as having been brainwashed by her Catholic upbringing. In an interview with ABC News' "Focus on Faith" in 2011, she said that she no longer believes in the afterlife and identifies as agnostic. Despite this, her Catholic background has influenced her career. She has worked as a stand-up comedian and radio talk show host, appearing on shows such as "The View" and "The Joy Behar Show." She has also written humorous essays and stories, such as "Joy Shtick—Or What is the Existential Vacuum and Does It Come with Attachments?" which draw on her unique perspective and sense of humor.
Behar's Catholic upbringing has also influenced her personal life. She was married to Joseph Behar, a Sephardic Jew, from 1965 to 1981. Despite her Catholic background, Behar has joked about her attraction to Jewish men, saying, "I happen to have a thing for Jewish men. I like a tall, thin, Jewish guy with an astigmatism." Behar and her former husband had one daughter together, Eve, who was born in 1972. The couple remained friends after their divorce, and Behar even described their interfaith wedding as an Italo-Hebraic affair.
Behar's Catholic upbringing, while influential in her life and career, is not the only aspect of her religious background. She has also been misidentified as Jewish due to her use of Jewish humor and her marriage to a Sephardic Jew. Despite her Catholic roots, Behar has created a unique path for herself, incorporating various cultural and religious influences into her work and personal life.
Dallas University: Catholic Education and Values
You may want to see also
Explore related products
Behar's Jewish-sounding surname
Joy Behar, born Josephina Victoria Occhiuto, is an American comedian, television host, actress, and playwright. She is best known for her work on the ABC talk show The View, for which she won a Daytime Emmy Award in 2009.
Behar's surname comes from her ex-husband, Joseph Behar, whom she was married to from 1965 to 1981. Joseph Behar is the son of Sephardic Jewish immigrants from Turkey. Behar has stated that she is often mistaken for being Jewish, perhaps due to her Jewish-sounding surname and her self-proclaimed attraction to Jewish men. In an interview with The New York Times, Behar commented on this, saying: "I'm Italian, but some people think I'm Jewish because I work the Yiddish. I also work the Italian, by the way."
Behar was born into a Roman Catholic family of Italian descent. Her parents, Rose Diane (née Carbone) and Louis Ferdinand "Gino" Occhiuto, were a seamstress and a truck driver for Coca-Cola, respectively. Behar was raised Catholic but now identifies as agnostic. In an interview with ABC News' "Focus on Faith" in 2011, she stated that she does not believe in an afterlife and that she chose not to give her daughter any religion as she felt that she herself had been "brainwashed."
Despite no longer identifying with a religion, Behar has been open about her spiritual beliefs. In 2018, while analyzing television personality Omarosa's comments regarding U.S. Vice President Mike Pence's religiosity, Behar stated: "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, hearing voices."
The Path to Heaven: Catholic Beliefs Explored
You may want to see also
Explore related products
Behar's self-identification as agnostic
Joy Behar, born Josephina Victoria Occhiuto, is an American comedian, television host, actress, and playwright. She is best known for co-hosting the ABC talk show The View, for which she won a Daytime Emmy Award in 2009. She also hosted The Joy Behar Show on HLN from 2009 to 2011 and Joy Behar: Say Anything! on Current TV from 2012 until 2013.
Behar was born in 1942 in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, to a Roman Catholic family of Italian descent. Her mother, Rose Diane "Rose" (née Carbone), was a seamstress, and her father, Louis Ferdinand "Gino" Occhiuto, was a truck driver for Coca-Cola and a World War II veteran. Despite being raised Catholic, Behar now identifies as agnostic. In an interview with ABC News' "Focus on Faith" in 2011, she stated, "I’m sustained by my family, my life, my brain. But I don’t believe there’s an afterlife." She also mentioned that she did not give her daughter any religion because she felt that she had been "brainwashed."
Behar's surname comes from her first husband, Joseph Behar, the son of Sephardic Jewish immigrants from Turkey. Despite her association with Jewish culture through her former husband and her self-proclaimed attraction to Jewish men, Behar has clarified that she herself is not Jewish. In fact, she has joked about being misidentified as Jewish, saying, "A couple of years ago, I got a call: 'Happy Hanukkah.' And I said, 'Ma, I’m not Jewish!"
In addition to her comments about the afterlife, Behar has expressed other sentiments that suggest a move away from organized religion. For example, in 2018, while analyzing television personality Omarosa's comments about U.S. Vice President Mike Pence's religiosity, Behar stated, "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, hearing voices." This comment sparked controversy, with the Media Research Center launching a campaign demanding an apology from Behar.
Dominionism and Catholicism: What's the Connection?
You may want to see also
Explore related products
Behar's Italian heritage
Joy Behar, born Josephine Victoria Occhiuto, is an American comedian, television host, actress, and playwright. She was born in 1942 in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York, and is of Italian descent. Her mother, Rosa Diane "Rose" (née Carbone), was a seamstress, and her father, Louis Ferdinand "Gino" Occhiuto, was a truck driver for Coca-Cola. Her family hails from Sant'Eufemia d'Aspromonte, Calabria.
Behar's name also has Italian roots. Her grandfather on her mother's side suggested that she go by "Joy," which is derived from the Italian phrase "La Gioia," meaning "The Joy." This name change proved to be a pivotal moment in her career, as it helped shape her stage name and public persona.
In addition to her Italian heritage, Behar has also been associated with Jewish culture due to her humour and her marriage to Joseph Behar, whose family were Sephardic Jewish immigrants from Turkey. However, she was raised Catholic and now identifies as agnostic. She has stated that she does not believe in a higher power or an afterlife.
Behar's heritage and cultural background have influenced her career and public image, and she continues to be a prominent figure in American media.
Tennyson's Faith: Exploring His Catholic Connections
You may want to see also
Explore related products
Behar's Jewish ex-husband
Joy Behar, born Josephine Victoria Occhiuto, is an American comedian, television host, actress, and playwright. She was born in 1942 in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, to a Roman Catholic family of Italian descent. Her mother, Rosa Diane "Rose" (née Carbone), was a seamstress, and her father, Louis Ferdinand "Gino" Occhiuto, was a truck driver for Coca-Cola.
Behar was raised Catholic but now identifies as agnostic. She has jokingly said that she lost her faith when she attended Queens College. In an interview with ABC News' "Focus on Faith" in 2011, she stated that she does not believe in an afterlife. As a result, she chose not to give her daughter, Eve, any religion, saying that she felt she had been "brainwashed" by her own religious upbringing.
Behar's first husband, Joe Behar, was the son of Sephardic Jewish immigrants from Turkey. The couple were married from 1965 to 1981 and had one daughter together. Despite divorcing, Joy kept her married name, Behar. Since 1982, she has been partnered with Steve Janowitz.
Europe's Catholic Population: A Comprehensive Overview
You may want to see also
Frequently asked questions
Joy Behar was born into a Roman Catholic family of Italian descent. She now identifies as agnostic.
No, Joy Behar is not Jewish. However, she has been mistaken for being Jewish because of her humour and her former husband, Joseph Behar, was a Sephardic Jew.
Joy Behar is of Italian descent. Behar's AncestryDNA test showed that her genetic ancestry consists of 92% Italy, 6% Turkey & The Caucasus, and 2% Middle East.
