Too little, too late? The View co-host Joy Behar looked contrite during an episode of the popular talk show on Thursday, Sept. 17, after several key advertisers announced they were pulling their ads from the daytime program — and now the ladies are trying to go one step further with their apology.
“After we made comments about the Miss America broadcast and the talent performance by Miss Colorado, we heard from many of you,” Behar addressed the cameras during Thursday’s show. “You let us know you were offended by some of our comments and believe me, we were listening. We apologize for our remarks and we know how important nurses are.”
Behar added that she and her fellow View co-hosts — including comedienne Michelle Collins and former child actress Raven-Symone — were inviting “dedicated professionals from NYU College of Nursing to share firsthand what these hard-working nurses do on a daily basis.”
The ladies of the View table caused a stir on social media earlier this week after they made off-color remarks about Miss Colorado Kelley Johnson’s monologue about nursing for the talent portion of the Miss America 2015 pageant on Monday’s show.
Collins, 34, mocked Johnson’s heartfelt monologue, saying that she immediately “turned the volume up” when she saw the contestant walk out on stage in purple medical scrubs, with a stethoscope around her neck.
“Why does she have a doctor’s stethoscope on?” Behar quipped, unimpressed.
The backlash was immediate, with a hashtag “NursesUnite” making rounds on the Internet as those in the medical profession bashed the talk show hosts for their insensitive remarks.
“If @TheView issues an apology tomorrow can you let me know?” former Bachelor Season 18 winner Nikki Ferrell tweeted on Tuesday, Sept. 15. “I have to work, & it airs around the time I’m usually using my stethoscope.”
Major advertiser Johnson & Johnson opted to distance itself from the show, telling Us Weekly in a statement: “Johnson & Johnson values and appreciates nurses and we respect the critical role they play. We disagree with recent comments on daytime television about the nursing profession and we have paused our advertising accordingly.”
Behar attempted to salvage the situation somewhat on Wednesday’s show, telling the audience that she was “used to seeing [the contestants] in gowns and bathing suits. It’s not like I was trying to be funny. It was just stupid and inattentive on my part.”
