Joy Behar apologises after repeatedly misgendering Caitlyn Jenner: ‘I didn’t get enough sleep’

The View host says: ‘I’m sorry if anybody was upset by that’

Joy Behar has apologised for misgendering Caitlyn Jenner multiple times while talking about the former Olympian’s run for California governor onThe View, telling viewers that she “didn’t get enough sleep last night”.

On Friday, Behar and her View co-hosts were discussing the pros and cons of the former Keeping Up With The Kardashians star’s candidacy when the 78-year-old mistakenly referred to Jenner as “he”.

The first instance occurred while the host was speaking with co-host Sunny Hostin about Jenner’s choice to enlist help from former Trump advisors, with Behar explaining that the trans rights activist has “got this guy Brad Parscale” running her campaign.

After misgendering Jenner three times while asking Hostin her thoughts about Jenner’s decision, Behar finally corrected herself, adding: “That’s who is running his campaign - or her campaign, rather.”

Later in the segment, Behar again incorrectly referred to the 71-year-old with the wrong pronouns, before correcting herself, while sharing her belief that Jenner should “take a seat and let somebody with the credentials take over a major state like California”.

Following a commercial break, The View host issued an apology for repeatedly misgendering Jenner, telling viewers that she blames her mistake on lack of sleep the night before.

“So first of all, let me apologise for my pronoun mix-up,” she said. “I think I just didn’t get enough sleep last night, I had no intention of mixing them up and I tried to correct it immediately but, whatever, it just came out.”

Behar then added that she was “sorry if anybody was upset by that”.

On social media, Behar’s apology was met with criticism, with some viewers accusing the talk-show host of being insincere.

“Joy Behar just called Caitlyn Jenner HE three times. I’m not supporting Caitlyn, but I do support trans rights…  Joy owes the trans community a REAL and not smart-ass apology!” one person tweeted.

Another said: “She only corrected herself because the producers were in her ear. The apology was insincere and forced as well. @JoyVBehar is full of hate for anyone who thinks differently than she does.

“If you include the phrase ‘if anyone was upset/offended’ then it isn’t an apology,” someone else wrote. “It’s an announcement that you believe others are overreacting. It’s patronising and offensive, and yet so many do it.”

On Friday, Jenner, a Republican and former Trump supporter, announced that she had taken the first official steps to run for the governor of California, writing in a statement: “Sacramento needs an honest leader with a clear vision.”

The Independent has contacted The View for comment.