Joy Behar tells Meghan McCain she 'did not miss' her on 'The View' while she took maternity leave

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It’s only Meghan McCain’s second day back co-hosting The View since taking maternity leave and for fellow co-host Joy Behar, the gloves are already off.

The two have a history of sparring over political issues (McCain is conservative, Behar is liberal) but they’ve usually kept it relatively amicable.

But on Tuesday, things got personal.

THE VIEW  Senator Cory Booker is the guest today, Monday, March 19, 2018 on Walt Disney Television via Getty Imagess The View. The View airs Monday-Friday (11:00 am-12:00 pm, ET) on the Walt Disney Television via Getty Images Television Network. (Photo by Paula Lobo/Walt Disney Television via Getty Images) MEGHAN MCCAIN
Meghan McCain recently sparred with View co-host Joy Behar after Behar told her she "did not miss her" during her maternity leave. (Photo: Getty Images)

During an otherwise typical conversation about the potential for a third political party, Behar contrasted the severity of the GOP’s splintering divisions with the Democrats’ own factions. “The Republican Party is in much more trouble right now,” Behar said. Of the Democrats, she said that the fighting between progressives and moderates was “de rigueur.

McCain took umbrage with, in her view, Behar’s lop-sided characterization. “Are you kidding me?” she said, interrupting Behar. McCain went on to point out the backlash from progressive legislators like “the Squad” (Reps. Ilhan Omar, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib and Ayanna Pressley) over President-elect Joe Biden’s Cabinet appointments.

Initially, Behar tried to head off McCain by saying, “Excuse me, am I done? I’m not done.” But after McCain finished, Behar jumped back into the fray, miffed about being interrupted. It quickly escalated.

“Excuse me I was speaking. I was talking. I’m talking about — I’m talking about traitors here,” Behar started.

But McCain followed that with, “You missed me so much when I was on maternity leave ... You missed fighting with me, don’t act like you miss fighting.”

Behar fired back, “I did not. I did not miss you. Zero.”

McCain, who in September had her first child, Liberty Sage, with husband Ben Domenech, appeared surprised by the bluntness of Behar’s statement. As chaotic crosstalk took over, she said to Behar, “that’s so nasty … I was teasing because you said something rude.”

Finally, View emcee Whoopi Goldberg put an end to the bickering. “Everybody stop!” she said. “This is not the way to do it and so I’m going to now become Whoopi and say, ‘Sara [Haines] I’d like to hear from you right now.’ What have you got to say?”

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