• Steve Janowitz is an American citizen of part-Italian descent born in the early '40s
• He attended high school and college in New York, and worked as a high school teacher for 45 years
• He married Joy Behar in 2011, 30 years after they first met
• Steve is a philanthropist and lover of animals, and enjoys reading and playing chess
• Joy Behar is a comedian, writer, actress, and TV show host who has appeared in multiple plays, films, and TV series, and written several books



Who is Steve Janowitz? Wiki Bio

Steve Janowitz was born in the early ‘40s in New York City, USA, an average American citizen who came under the spotlight after he began dating comedian, writer and actress Joy Behar.

Childhood and education

Steve was apparently raised in New York City, by his mother who was a housewife while his father was a shop owner. It’s believed that his grandfather came from Italy to the US after World War I ended, so he’s of part-Italian descent. Steve attended a high school in New York and after matriculating enrolled at a college graduating with a bachelor’s degree sometime in the ‘60s.

Steve’s career

Steve launched his career shortly after graduation when he began working as a high school teacher, and stayed in the same profession for more than 45 years, until retirement.

Love life and marriage

Steve met Joy Behar in 1982, long before she became popular for being the host of “The View” TV show, but they dated for nearly 30 years before marrying in August 2011 at a ceremony in New York City, attended only by their closest friends and family. The wedding was originally planned for 2009, and it nearly happened but as it attracted a lot of media’s attention, Steve and Joy wanted to avoid any fuss, and therefore decided to postpone it – well after 27 years, what’s another year or two?

There were numerous rumors over the years regarding why the couple waited nearly 30 years until they married. Joy cleared this out during one of her interviews, stating that she planned on waiting until same sex marriage became legal in New York – not that either of them are gay, obviously – while she also waited for Steve’s parents to pass away which, at first, seemed kind of strange to people hearing this. She went on to explain that her parents were deceased, and she didn’t want his parents to interfere with their marriage.

Steve and Joy don’t have children together, while Joy has a daughter named Eve from her first marriage. She was married to college professor Joseph Behar from 1965 to 1981, when their divorce was finalized. Joy was given the custody over Eve, who gave birth to her son Luca in 2011, thus making Joy a grandmother.

Hobbies and other interests

Steve has never been interested in attracting the media’s attention and being under the spotlight, and prefers to spend his free time in his own or his wife’s company.

He’s very keen on reading, innumerable books, while it’s known that he often advised his students to read as much as they could, as there are ‘whole worlds to be discovered in books’. He travelled a bit around Europe during his 20s, mostly to Italy which is believed to be the birthplace of his paternal grandparents. He wasn’t much into sports while attending high school, but was interested in playing chess, and attended several competitions with his high school team.

Both Steve and his wife Joy are philanthropists, and have volunteered on several occasions with non-government organizations. They are both lovers of animals, and have had three pet dogs over the course of years.

Steve Janowitz and Joy Behar

Appearance and net worth

Steve has short gray hair and brown eyes, is 5ft 10ins (1.78m) tall, and weighs around 150lbs (68kgs). His net worth is estimated at over $400,000, accumulated from his years of teaching, while Joy’s net worth is reputedly over $12 million, amassed from her acting career.

Who is Joy Behar, Steve’s wife?

Josephine Victoria Occhiuto was born in Brooklyn, New York City USA, on 7 October 1942 – so  her zodiac sign is Libra, and she holds American nationality. She’s an actress, comedian, and a writer, probably best known for hosting “The View” TV talk show.

Joy is an only child, born into a Roman Catholic family of Italian descent, and raised by her mother who was a seamstress, and her father Gino who drove a truck for Coca-Cola. She attended a high school in Brooklyn, and after matriculating enrolled at Queens College, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in sociology in 1964. She continued her education at Stony Brook University, from which she emerged with a Master’s degree in English education in 1966.

She launched her career as an English teacher at Lindenhurst Senior High School in New York, and meantime began studying acting at HB Studios.

She began her career on TV in the ‘80s, as a producer of “Good Morning America” in which she could also have been seen performing stand-up comedy. She became the host of the “Way Off Broadway” show on Lifetime Television in 1997, and went on to appear in many other shows, such as “This Is My Life”, “Manhattan Murder Mystery”, and “Baby Boom” among others.

She began appearing in “The View” talk show in 1997, and was soon made a permanent host – after 12 years of hosting it, she won the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Talk Show Host. Her final appearance in the show was on 9 August 2013, when she left to focus on writing her play and doing more stand-ups, but returned to the show on 8 September 2015, and is still hosting it.

In 2009 after guest hosting several episodes of “Larry King Live”, Joy launched her own “The Joy Behar Show” which lasted until 15 December 2011. She launched another show on 4 September 2012 entitled “Joy Behar: Say Anything!” which ended after a year.

Joy has also acted in many theatre plays, such as “The Vagina Monologues” and “Love, Loss and What I Wore” among others, and has written several books, such as “Joy Shtick — Or What is the Existential Vacuum and Does It Come with Attachments?” and “Sheetzucacapoopoo: My Kind of Dog”.

Joy has appeared in numerous movies too, as well as TV series over the years, some of which are “Love is All There is” in 1996, playing Ann in three episodes of the “Crisis in Six Scenes” TV series, and voicing Eunice in the “Ice Age: Continental Drift” film in 2012. Her latest appearance was as herself in the  “Hacks” episode “Join the Club” in early 2024.

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As a Freelance Writer at Biography Pedia, I oversee the full writing process, from in-depth research to the development of compelling narratives, ensuring accuracy and excellence in our output. Our goal is to produce insightful profiles that deeply explore the lives of prominent figures in business, entertainment, and other fields. Through meticulous research and engaging storytelling, we spotlight the significant journeys and achievements of individuals who captivate and inspire our readers.

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