Joy Behar Not-So-Jokingly Tells Sara Haines to Stop Touching Her: 'This One is Violent!'

The View may be in need of a panel shift. On Tuesday morning, Joy Behar not-so-jokingly lashed out at Sara Haines, who sits to her right, for touching her during Hot Topics discussions. The awkward moment came during a discussion about drug use among Olympians, prompting Behar to say, "I am medicinally in need at the moment. I am, from all the times that this bitch has hit me in the arm."

Behar's morning started off on an odd note when the longtime co-host confused Olympian Jesse Owens with conservative Sen. Jesse Helms. "You have to keep the Olympics clean," she said, as the panel discussed Russian skater Kamila Valieva, who was ruled eligible to compete despite testing positive for a banned heart medication. "In 1944, whatever it was, Jesse Helm won the Olympic gold — if he had taken an enhancing drug, we would not be considering Jesse Helm a hero today."

When Whoopi and Ana Navarro chimed in to ask if she meant Jesse Owens, a Black track star who won four gold medals at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, Behar admitted she was wrong. "Jesse Owens! Jesse Helms was a right-wing senator. Sorry," she said, adding with a laugh, "I feel like I just took a hit on something!"

After some back and forth, Whoopi brought up the case of She'Carri Richardson, who was barred from the Summer Olympics after she tested positive for marijuana, prompting yet another bizarre Behar aside. "There are two stores on the Upper West Side, two CBC stores," she said. "Jesse Helms, why don't you rest a little," interrupted Haines, putting a hand on Behar's wrist.

Immediately, the look in Behar's eyes changed. "Don't touch me!" she said, pointing a finger at Haines. "Do not touch me. Do not touch me."

SHOULD RUSSIAN SKATER COMPETE AFTER DOPING SCANDAL? As a 15-year-old Russian skater returns to the ice after testing positive for a banned performance-enhancing drug, the U.S. Olympian banned for testing positive for marijuana called it a racist double standard — #TheView reacts. pic.twitter.com/UnSZedcj9c

— The View (@TheView) February 15, 2022

The ladies chuckled at the outburst, with Whoopi joking that she only thought Behar's hair was off limits, but Behar barely laughed along with them. "This one is violent!" she said, once again pointing at Haines.

When Whoopi tried to steer the conversation back to marijuana, Behar reignited the drama at the table. "From all the times that this bitch has hit me in the arm, I am now medicinally in need!" she said in a slightly more lighthearted tone. Sunny Hostin seemed to pick up on the shift, joking, "You have, Sara. You have been striking her and assaulting her."

"I have a lawyer here!" added Behar, finally in full joking mode. "I mean, COVID had provided distance, which is good."

Of course, Haines insisted that she means no harm. "I'm a violent laugher," she said. "Joy, I've told you to stop making me laugh and we'll be fine."

Claire Spellberg Lustig is the Senior Editor at Primetimer and a scholar of The View. Follow her on Twitter at @c_spellberg.