Joy Behar stokes backlash for claiming Jesus never claimed to be Messiah

"The View" co-host Joy Behar prompted backlash Tuesday for claiming that Jesus Christ never claimed to be the Messiah, before suggesting He was "narcissistic" for having done so after her co-hosts corrected her.

During a panel discussion about President Donald Trump's since-deleted Truth Social post from Sunday showing him as a Christ-like figure with light emanating from his hands, the co-hosts of "The View" joined critics who condemned the post as offensive.

Joy Behar claims Jesus never said he was the messiah, gets corrected, then says it's "narcissistic" for Jesus to call himself that.

Never has there been a more blasphemous moment on The View.pic.twitter.com/cfLraGh4tz

— Media Research Center (@theMRC) April 14, 2026

After deleting the meme on Monday following intense backlash — even from many of his supporters — Trump dismissed allegations that he was attempting to liken himself to Christ. He instead said he thought the AI-generated image of him in first-century Middle Eastern garb depicted him as "a doctor."

Co-hosts Sara Haines and Sunny Hostin implied that Trump is one of the Bible’s warned-of false prophets, and Alyssa Farah noted Paula White-Cain’s recent comparison of Trump to Jesus. Behar then suggested that claiming to be the Messiah is not something even Jesus would do.

"Jesus Himself did not run around saying, 'I'm the Messiah, I'm the Messiah!'" Behar said, prompting immediate pushback from her colleagues.

"That's exactly what Jesus said: 'I am the Messiah,'" Haines said. Behar replied, "No, He did not. Jesus was more modest than this. Listen, I knew Jesus, OK? Jesus was not narcissistic like this guy."

"When you are the Messiah, it's not narcissism to say it," Haines said.

"Yes, it is," said Behar.

Co-host Whoopi Goldberg then shut down the discussion, saying, "I'm going to move this along, because this is too much for me."

Behar was raised Roman Catholic but identifies as agnostic, according to her profile on the website of the Freedom From Religion Foundation. She reportedly lost her faith when she "went to the commie school Queens College." She told ABC News in 2011 that she is "sustained by my family, my life, my brain" and does not believe in an afterlife.

The exchange sparked widespread reaction on social media, with many users criticizing Behar and the show.

"Never has there been a more blasphemous moment on 'The View,'" wrote the Media Research Center, whose repost of the clip drew more than 195,000 impressions on X.

Christian author Eric Metaxas echoed that sentiment, claiming the show draws attention primarily through viral clips.

"The only reason anyone knows about 'The View' is because they regularly say UNBELIEVABLY stupid things, which get posted here on X," he said. "NO ONE actually watches the show."

"Joy Behar said Jesus was modest, didn't claim to be the Messiah. She's immediately corrected, then says Jesus would be a narcissist to claim he's the Messiah. This woman got a Master's Degree. Not in theology," said NewsBusters executive editor Tim Graham.

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, responded to the clip by quoting John 14:6, where Jesus said, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

Other users cited additional passages, such as John 4:25–26, where Jesus identified Himself as the Messiah to the Samaritan woman at the well.

According to the synoptic Gospels, Jesus was often reserved or indirect in revealing His messianic identity during His ministry. As recounted in Matthew 16 and Mark 8, He "strictly charged" the disciples not to tell anyone that He is the Christ after Simon Peter confessed it — something Jesus said was revealed to Peter by God the Father.

He publicly affirmed His identity as Christ during His trial before the Sanhedrin, which enraged the high priest and led to a charge of blasphemy, according to Mark 14:61–62.

Jesus instructed His disciples to keep His identity secret before His resurrection because His rising from the dead would serve as the ultimate proof of His messianic role, according to 18th-century theologian Matthew Henry.

"Christ would not have the apostles preach this, till they had the most convincing evidence ready to allege in confirmation of it. Great truths may suffer damage by being asserted before they can be sufficiently proved," Henry wrote.

"Now the great proof of Jesus being the Christ was his resurrection: by that he was declared to be the Son of God, with power; and therefore the divine wisdom would not have this truth preached, till that could be alleged for proof of it."