Joy Behar, a co-host on ABC's "The View," kissed actor Anson Mount on the lips during a live broadcast on Wednesday, an interaction that has since gone viral. Mount, 53, who is married to photographer Darah Trang, was a guest on the show to discuss his role in "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds."
Mount had just walked out from backstage and was greeting the panelists when Behar, 83, embraced him. After Mount kissed Behar on the cheek, she puckered her lips, and Mount leaned in for a kiss on the mouth. Behar then appeared to pull him in for a more prolonged embrace.
Following the kiss, co-host Sunny Hostin humorously handed Mount a tissue to wipe off Behar's lipstick. Hostin then quipped, "no wonder Joy has been talking about you all morning," to which Behar responded, "I'm old, but I'm not dead."
Mount, who was last on "The View" 13 years ago, remarked, "Last time he was here, he brought me flowers for my birthday, and it’s never been the same between us." He also noted, "Well, I got married," to which Behar replied, "That's what I mean!"
In the aftermath of the segment, Mount stated that his wife found the on-air kiss "hilarious." He shared in an interview with TV Insider, "I asked my wife to promise me she wouldn’t divorce me. She thought it was hilarious."
Mount attributed the viral nature of the moment partly to assumptions about his availability. "I think people just assume that I’m not around anymore because I have two young kids," he said. "I think maybe they were surprised to see that I’m still alive."
Mount and Trang, married since 2018, have two daughters, Clover, four, and Violet, one. While Mount and his wife reacted humorously, some viewers expressed criticism, with comments on social media suggesting Behar had crossed a line.
