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The married “Star Trek” star reacted to the live kiss on social media. Producer Brian Teta said the cohosts engaged in “talk of mounting” backstage.
Key Points
- Joy Behar and producer Brian Teta said The View cohost made sexual jokes about Anson Mount’s last name backstage before she pulled him in for a kiss on the air.
- Teta said there was “a lot of talk of mounting” among the stars before Mount’s interview on the show.
- Behar, who is married, pulled Mount (also married) in for a messy kiss on the live show, which left lipstick all over the performer’s face.
Longtime View cohost Joy Behar and show producer Brian Teta have admitted that, prior to Behar pulling interview guest Anson Mount in for a long kiss on the lips during Wednesday’s live show, she made sexual jokes about the Star Trek actor’s last name backstage.
Hours after Behar, 83, grabbed Mount, 53, and pulled him in for a kiss on the lips as he walked out to the Hot Topics table for an interview, the comedian joined Teta to react to the moment on the series’ Behind the Table companion podcast.
During the conversation, Teta introduced Behar as the “humper-in-chief,” referencing the moment the comedian kissed Mount, who has been married since 2018. Teta noted that it had been 12 years since the actor last appeared on the talk show, and that Behar initially wasn’t interested in having a Star Trek performer on the program as a guest — until she realized it was Mount.
Teta revealed that, among the cohosts backstage, there “was a lot of talk of mounting” before the interview, with Behar (who’s also married) quipping that “you could get turned on just by the name” alone.
“Whoopi was having some fun with that,” she said, referencing Goldberg winking and repeating Mount’s name several times during his interview introduction.
“All morning I’ve been hearing about Anson Mount, and I’ve been making jokes about his name,” Behar said, later adding, “When he came out, I just felt like kissing him.”
She noted that, after Mount kissed her on the cheek during the greeting, she whispered the word “lips” into his ear. She then puckered her lips for a peck on the mouth, and then pulled Mount in for a lengthier kiss with her left arm.
Behar said that her own husband texted her during the broadcast with a reaction to the moment: “Steve wrote, ‘Cut that out’” Behar said, explaining that he also called her a “putana” (a derogatory Italian word) in another message.
Mount also reacted to the kiss on social media, as he shared Entertainment Weekly‘s coverage of the kiss to his X profile alongside an embarrassed-face emoji. In a follow-up post, Mount referenced Behar joking on the episode that she is “old” but “not dead.” Mount replied: “VERY MUCH ALIVE, I can attest!”
While some users under Mount’s first post said that they found the kiss to be funny, others criticized Behar for the move.
“That is completely inappropriate,” one wrote. “Terrible example to women. I’m so sorry that happened to you and to your wife.”
Another posed the theory: “People keep asking what would happen if it were a male TV host. I’m thinking you’d have probably fought him off a bit harder,” while a separate viewer elaborated, asking, “Did you consent? It’s one thing if you don’t mind a surprise kiss, a whole other thing if it bothered you.”
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EW has reached out to representatives for Mount as well as to representatives for Behar and Goldberg at The View for comment.
Mount will next return to the Star Trek universe in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 4, which premieres Thursday on the Paramount+ streaming service.
Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly
