Pope Francis died on Monday, April 21. Source: mega;@theview/YouTube
During The View‘s live broadcast on Tuesday, April 22, Joy Behar threw some playful shade at her co-host Whoopi Goldberg.
Goldberg was recalling a touching memory of the late Pope Francis, sharing how he once invited 100 comedians from around the world to meet him.
Behar, with her signature humor, quickly quipped, “I don’t remember that. I wasn’t invited.”
Despite the playful jab, Goldberg continued, sharing Pope Francis’s words: “He said, ‘I want to laugh more. We all need to laugh more.’ Then, looking at all 100 of us, he added, ‘What you do is important.
Without you, it’s a grayer day.’” Goldberg went on to explain how the Pope, having grown up around refugees, understood the struggles people face. “He got it,” she said. “Refugees are everywhere, so why be negative? Why not stay positive and walk through the grayest parts of life with compassion?”
As Goldberg shared her story of visiting Pope Francis at the Vatican, Behar tried to stay composed but couldn’t help but laugh at the memory.
Despite her lighthearted response, Behar acknowledged the Pope’s leadership as the panel discussed potential candidates to succeed him.
Behar remarked, “There might be a backlash against how good he was and the humility he showed, especially compared to some of today’s world leaders. They might replace him with a conservative figure, you know, someone anti-gay and everything else.”
Pope Francis passed away on Monday, April 21, from a stroke that led to a coma and heart failure. His health had been declining for some time. In February, he was hospitalized for 38 days due to a respiratory crisis that turned into pneumonia. Having had part of a lung removed in his youth due to chronic lung disease, his recovery was more challenging, especially at the age of 88.
While Behar showed some annoyance over Goldberg’s Pope Francis story, she wasn’t the only one to criticize him after his death.
Far-right politician Marjorie Taylor Greene took to Twitter on the same day, throwing a direct jab at the late Pope.
“Today, there were major shifts in global leadership. Evil is being defeated by the hand of God,” Greene wrote.
Her tweet quickly sparked backlash, with many calling her “pure evil” and urging her to “delete” her X account.
