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Joy Behar has addressed an “inappropriate” joke she made on The View Tuesday.
The co-hosts were discussing Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Carl Nassib, who came out as gay earlier this week, becoming the first-ever active NFL player to do so.
“After they said penetration in the end zone, they lost me!” Behar said during the conversation.
Before the next commercial break, however, the TV personality, 78, walked back her comment.
“I just long for the days when you can just be gay in the world and it doesn’t become a big deal,” she said. “By the way, that inappropriate joke I made for daytime television, scratch it. Make believe I never said it.”
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Nassib, 28, came out on Monday in a candid Instagram video.
“I just wanted to take a quick moment to say that I’m gay. I’ve been meaning to do this for a while now, but I finally feel comfortable enough to get it off my chest,” he said in a video taken at his home in West Chester, Pennsylvania.
“I’m a pretty private person, so I hope you guys know that I’m really not doing this for attention. I just think that representation and visibility are so important,” Nassib continued in the video, which he shared in an Instagram post. “I actually hope that one day, videos like this and the whole coming out process are just not necessary.”
“But until then, you know, I’m going to do my best and do my part to cultivate a culture that’s accepting, that’s compassionate, and I’m gonna start by donating $100,000 to the Trevor Project,” he said, adding in a written statement included in the post that he feels an “immense responsibility to help in any way [he] can.”
“I’m really pumped for what the future holds,” the Penn State University alum added in his video message.
ABC
RELATED: Las Vegas Raiders Player Carl Nassib Becomes First Active NFL Player to Come Out as Gay
While a number of NFL players have come out after their playing careers, an openly gay player has never played in a regular season game, according to NBC Sports. Michael Sam came out in 2014 and became the first openly gay player to be drafted into the NFL, but only played in the preseason, NPR reported.
Nassib added in his written statement that he feels “especially thankful to have had so much support when many who came before – and many even now – do not.”
“I stand on the shoulders of giants, incredible people who paved the way for me to have this opportunity,” he said. “I do not know all the history behind our courageous LGBTQ community, but I am eager to learn and to help continue the fight for equality and acceptance.”
