'The View' audience boos host Joy Behar as she mocks Arnold Schwarzenegger’s affair with housekeeper

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Joy Behar found herself in hot water during a live taping of 'The View' after a poorly received joke referencing Arnold Schwarzenegger’s decades-old affair triggered a strong backlash from the studio audience.

The 82-year-old host was discussing body types during Tuesday’s episode when she quipped that muscular men come with high expectations and then followed up with a jab, reports Radar Online.

Joy Behar booed on ‘The View’ after dig at Arnold Schwarzenegger’s infamous affair

“You have to be perfect if they're perfect,” Joy Behar admitted, before laughing and adding, “I'm not perfect, and I'd like them to be legally blind, even. That helps.”

She followed up with a biting remark, “I mean, if you get a guy like Arnold Schwarzenegger, he’s going to leave you for the housekeeper anyway.”

The reference to Schwarzenegger’s well-known extramarital affair with his former housekeeper, Mildred Baena, was met with immediate disapproval. Boos erupted from the audience, prompting Behar to flash a smile and ask, “What?” as co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin jokingly commented, “Too soon! It’s only been 30 years!”

Despite a few approving cheers from the crowd, the awkward moment prompted Whoopi Goldberg to quickly pivot, cutting the segment short and tossing to a commercial break with a visibly uncomfortable expression.

The affair she referenced remains a sensitive subject, particularly for Maria Shriver, Schwarzenegger’s ex-wife. In her recent poetry memoir 'I Am Maria', Shriver opened up about the emotional devastation she experienced after learning of her husband’s betrayal and the existence of his secret child.

The couple, married for 25 years, split in 2011 after Shriver confronted Baena, who admitted to the long-hidden relationship. Schwarzenegger later confirmed the affair and paternity during a counseling session.

Schwarzenegger has spoken about the scandal in his 2023 Netflix docuseries 'Arnold', and has since maintained a relationship with his son, Joseph.

Maria Shriver reflects on forgiveness and healing after divorce from Arnold Schwarzenegger

Following the couple’s separation in 2011 and the finalization of their divorce in 2021, Shriver channeled her grief, resilience, and introspection into verse. The book, she says, was born out of years of soul-searching, particularly during a tumultuous period marked by the loss of both her parents and the collapse of her marriage.

“I’ve worked hard at forgiveness: forgiveness for myself, forgiveness of others,” she shared in an interview with People. She went on to share, “I don’t need to go into the meaning of forgiveness, but I always take from my faith that there is no person on the planet who doesn’t need forgiveness, so why not practice it on yourself, grant it to others and just keep at it?”

Despite the past, Shriver says she and Schwarzenegger remain closely connected, especially through their roles as co-parents and now grandparents. “Arnold and I are in a good place,” she shared. “We laugh a lot about our kids, our grandkids, ourselves and we are proud of the fact that we are still in conversation. For almost 50 years!”

“There is no such thing as a perfect person,” she added, quoting her pastor. “All of us are sinners and all of us are saints in progress.”