Steve Janowitz and Joy Behar attend Joseph Fioretti’s exhibition at The National Arts Club.Photo:Sean Zanni/Getty
Sean Zanni/Getty
Janowitz is the second husband of Brooklyn-born Behar, who cited her previous marriage as one of the reasons she waited 29 years to tie the knot again. She shares a daughter, Eve, with her first husband, Joe Behar.
These days, Behar and Janowitz live in their Hamptons home withtheir dog, a Shih-Tzu named BernieafterBernie Sanders.
What else is there to know about Joy Behar’s husband, Steve Janowitz? Read on to find out more.
He’s a teacher
Steve Janowitz and Joy Behar attend a private dinner for Bob Mackie, in celebration of his upcoming auction at Christie’s.Sam Bolton/Patrick McMullan/Getty
Sam Bolton/Patrick McMullan/Getty
Janowitz is a schoolteacher, something he has in common with his wife. However, Janowitzteaches middle school math, while Behar previously taught English.
Behar was also a teacher in the ’60s and ’70s before she started her career in television. She went into teaching after earning a master’s degree in English education at Stony Brook University and taught English at Lindenhurst High School in New York.
She also taught at an elementary school, which shejoked about being fired from in a stand-up show.
“They’d send me to one of these goody-goody schools where the kids would just snitch on each other all day long. I hate that … I’m Italian, we don’t f—— snitch,” she said.
“‘Ms. Behar, he said ‘F’, ” she repeated in a mocking tone, mimicking a student. “They were relentless. Finally one day, I say who the f— said F? And I got fired … they snitched on me!”
They met at a semi-nudist colony
Joy Behar and Steve Janowitz smiling.Judie Burstein/Globe Photos/ ZUMA Press, Inc. / Alamy
Judie Burstein/Globe Photos/ ZUMA Press, Inc. / Alamy
On an episode ofThe View, Behar revealed her husband was naked the first time she saw him.
“I don’t know if you know this about me, but Imet my husband at a semi-nudist colony. It’s true,” she said matter-of-factly, speaking to guestAndrew Yang. “He was naked, I was not. Because for a man to see me naked, I have to be in his will."
Behar clarified that when they actually spoke for the first time later that night, Janowitz was fully dressed for the movie night the semi-nudist colony was hosting but she recognized him from earlier in the day.
She laughed, recanting the surprised reactions she gets whenever she tells the origin story of her and her husband.
“People say, ‘Joy, really? That twitching, crazy woman onThe View?’ ”
They were together for almost 30 years before getting married
Steve Janowitz and Joy Behar attend Welcome to Gulu Exhibition and Benefit.PATRICK MCMULLAN/Patrick McMullan/Getty
PATRICK MCMULLAN/Patrick McMullan/Getty
Behar and Janowitz dated for nearly 30 years before they married in a private ceremony on Aug. 11, 2011, in New York City.
In 2009, she announced they had plans to wed, calling him her “spousal equivalent" — but later that year, she said got “cold feet” and broke off the engagement. Another reason Behar put off getting married was to avoid having in-laws.
“I waited until all the parents were dead,” she said, speaking toRachael Rayon her show in 2011. “So I have no in-laws at all. He has none and I have none. ’Cause marriage is mostly about in-laws, I find. They always want you to visit them and come for lasagna.”
Behar also noted that she and Janowitz wanted to wait for gay marriage to become legalized before tying the knot.
“It did have an influence on me. It brought to my consciousness why gays needed to get married. And I thought it was a good reason for me to get married … So did Steve, so we did it,” she said onThe View.
She also read out a list of reasons why she and Janowitz finally got married, including jokes like, “Joy is sick of Barbara Walters bugging her to get married,” and, “Joy is expecting twins.”
On her wedding to Janowitz being better late than never, she added: “If he was going to get down on one knee, I wanted it to be during the time when he could still get up from one knee!”
In aninterview withGood Morning Americaa month after her wedding, Behar was asked if she felt like she was on her honeymoon, which she answered with a swift “no.”
“Do I look like a blushing bride to you? It’s been 29 years,” she said. “I feel like I did something that I probably needed to do … 29 years of warm-up is sufficient.”
He’s a stepdad to Joy’s daughter
Steve Janowitz, Joy Behar, her daughter Eve Behar and grandson Luca attend the 6th Annual Family Affair.Sonia Moskowitz/WireImage
Sonia Moskowitz/WireImage
In 1962, Behar married Joe Behar, a college professor, and they welcomed a daughter, Eve Behar Scotti, before divorcing in 1981.
Eve was born in Long Island, New York, on Nov. 26, 1970; when Janowitz and Behar started dating in 1982, she was 12.
In 2007, Eve married Alphonso Anthony Scotti, and in 2011, the couple welcomed a son, Luca.
He supports his wife’s career behind the scenes
Joy Behar and Steve Janowitz attend Carolina Herrera Hosts a Screening of ‘My One and Only’.PATRICK MCMULLAN/Patrick McMullan/Getty
Janowitz is a devoted husband and supporter of his wife’s endeavors, including her work as a host onThe View. In fact, he even offers technical support on her craft.
In April 2020, whileThe Viewwas filmed and hosted virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Behar experienced technical difficulties getting her camera to work on the air. But fortunately, her husband was able to help get her back up and running.
The show aired a behind-the-scenes look atBehar’s camera and mic mishap, which pictured Janowitz coming to her rescue.
“You have to know, Whoopi, that happened like 10 seconds before we went on the air,” Behar said to her laughing co-host.
“And poor Steve — who’s a teacher, he’s not a cameraman — he’s doing all the technical stuff over here! I mean, he’s gonna have to join the union with Bob Lampel,” she continued, referencingThe View’s technical manager, who died in 2021.
A blooper reel onThe View’sYouTube channelalso shows Behar telling her husband, “Steve, we can hear you — we’re on the air,” as he speaks to her off-camera.
He always has Behar’s back
Joy Behar and husband Steve Janowitz backstage after the Off-Broadway Opening Night of Joy Behar’s ‘Me, My Mouth & I’.Walter McBride/WireImage
Walter McBride/WireImage
From the beginning of their relationship, Behar gave Janowitz credit for being a supportive partner. Even Behar’s former co-hostMeghan McCainacknowledged Janowitz for his protective nature when it comes to his wife.
“You have given me very good marriage adviceabout having to deal with a woman in the public eye and a husband who has to deal with a woman like us — who [are] very polarizing — and their reactions in the media,” McCain said during an episode ofThe View.
“I know Steve is as protective of you as Ben is of me,” McCain said, referencing their respective husbands. “And you’ve given me really amazing solid advice that is very helpful.”
His support is not limited to being protective; Janowitz isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty either. In 2020, hehelped Behar dye her hairwhen salons were closed.
“I look like a love child betweenCyndi Lauperand Carrot Top,” Beharsaid onThe View, showing off her freshly dyed ginger roots.
“But I mean, what a guy. He’s like aMartin Scorseseand Vidal Sassoon all rolled into one, it’s fantastic,” Behar said, praising her husband.
source: people.com
