Joy Behar is explaining an old photo of herself portraying a "beautiful African woman" that resurfaced from an episode of "The View" in 2016. Behar, co-host of the daytime talk show, was seen bragging about a picture of herself where she boasted curly hair when she was 29 years old. “Joy, are you black?" co-host Raven-Symoné asks. “I was so cute,” Behar says, saying she dressed up as a “beautiful African woman" for a Halloween party and sported her natural curly hair and makeup that was "a little darker than my skin." The story has emerged as various racial sandals continue to emerge, with Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam facing intense scrutiny for allegedly donning blackface for a Michael Jackson dance party more than 30 years ago. USA TODAY has contacted Behar's representatives for comment.<doc-sep>Joy Behar and ABC were silent Thursday after an old photo resurfaced of "The View" co-host using makeup to darken her skin for a Halloween costume, the latest flashpoint in a week when a series of blackface scandals made national headlines. The 76-year-old didn't mention the clip on Thursday's show, one day after an editor for the entertainment website The Wrap tweeted the three-year-old segment of Behar discussing a resurgence of curly hair. During the 2016 segment, Behar, an outspoken liberal, displayed a 1970s-era photo of herself at a Halloween party when she was 29. She said that the hair was her own and that she had dressed as a "beautiful African woman." Co-host Raven-Symoné, who gasped when she saw the image, asked whether she had on tanning lotion. Behar said she wore makeup "that was a little bit darker than my skin." "You mean blackface?" Symoné responded. Moments later, Symoné said, "I love it though." In a 2016 episode of "The View," Joy Behar showed this photo of herself from a 1970s-era Halloween party. She said she wore darker makeup and went as a "beautiful African woman." ABC/The View Messages seeking comment were not returned from Behar's agent and the ABC program. The Wrap notes the discussion on set in 2016 was sparked after Behar wrote a New York Times op-ed touting the benefits of naturally curly hair. Critics were quick to point out that NBC cut ties with host Megyn Kelly last year after she created a furor by suggesting that it was OK for white people to wear blackface on Halloween. This week, Virginia's governor and attorney general are being criticized for their use of blackface in the 1980s. Florida Secretary of State Michael Ertel resigned last month after a photo surfaced showing him wearing blackface as part of a "Hurricane Katrina victim" costume. Other white celebrities who have been called out for using blackface include Julianne Hough, who in 2012 dressed as characters from Netflix's "Orange Is the New Black," and "Real Housewives of New York" star LuAnn De Lesseps, who dressed as Diana Ross for Halloween in 2017.<doc-sep>Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) has also come under fire for a photo that appeared on his page of his medical school yearbook that showed one person in blackface and another in a KKK robe and hood. Northam first said he was one of them but then recanted, saying he was convinced he did not appear in the photo.<doc-sep>ABC News’ “The View” co-host Joy Behar remained stone silent Thursday regarding old footage of her donned in blackface that was unearthed this week as similar images have caused outrage and derailed careers. Behar did not address the situation during the first episode of “The View” to air after her controversial decades-old image caused an uproar on social media. ABC News did not immediately respond to a request for comment. PHOTO OF JOY BEHAR DRESSED AS ‘BEAUTIFUL AFRICAN WOMAN’ RESURFACES Footage of Behar dressing up as a “beautiful African woman” was resurfaced by TheWrap media editor Jon Levine on Wednesday amid a series of blackface scandals making national headlines. The image of a 29-year-old Behar wearing makeup intended to darken her skin was aired on “The View” back in 2016 when the panel discussed the resurgence of naturally curly hair. The co-hosts appeared surprised by her drastically different look. Raven-Symoné, a former co-host, asked a the time, "Joy, are you black?" "I was so cute," Behar said in the 2016 clip. "Joy... are you my auntie, Joy?" Raven-Symoné joked. VIRGINIA AG MARK HERRING ADMITS WEARING BLACKFACE AT 1980 COLLEGE PARTY Behar then explained that the picture was taken at a Halloween party where she dressed up as a "beautiful African woman" and stressed that it was her actual hair. "Did you have tanning lotion on, Joy?" Raven-Symoné asked. Behar responded by saying she wore makeup "that was a little bit darker than my skin." “I can’t really get too bothered at this blackface-lite costume because it was 1971 and people didn’t even know what microaggressions were. I’m more flabbergasted by her willingness to pull this photo out and proudly show the world as if it’s totally cool in the year 2016,” Jezebel’s Kara Brown wrote after the 2016 segment. While the 2016 segment didn’t spark much outrage, NBC famously cut ties with Megyn Kelly last year for pondering aloud whether dressing in blackface for Halloween could be acceptable. Media watchdogs quickly hit Twitter to compare Behar’s situation to what ended Kelly’s time at the Peacock Network. Last week, Virginia’s Democratic Governor Ralph Northam offered an apology after a photograph emerged on his medical school yearbook page that featured a man in blackface and another in a KKK robe. He reversed course the next day, claiming he wasn’t in that photo but did admit to wearing blackface when dressing up as Michael Jackson for a costume contest. Countless prominent politicians on both sides of the aisle have called for him to step down as a result. KIMMEL, FALLON AVOID NORTHAM CONTROVERSY IN MONOLOGUES; BOTH HAVE HISTORIES USING BLACKFACE IN SKITS Democratic Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring, who had previously called on Northam to resign, released a statement Wednesday that he also wore blackface in college. Late-night hosts Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon, who have both also worn blackface on comedy skits without backlash, have skirted the Virginia Democrats' blackface scandals in their late-night monologues. Meanwhile, Gucci apologized this week for producing a sweater that resembled blackface, and Florida's Secretary of State resigned last month after old blackface photos surfaced. Back in 2013, actress Julianne Hough was slammed for dressing up as a black character from the Netflix series "Orange is the New Black. Soccer star Andres Iniesta even appologized last month when he was criticized for posing with two people dressed in blackface. Fox News’ Joseph A. Wulfsohn contributed to this report.<doc-sep>
Joy Behar does not want to talk about it. Behar waded into the day's hot-button issues on "The View" but no mention was made during Friday's live show about her own photo in which she darkened her skin and dressed up as an African woman many years ago. The 76-year-old led discussions of Jeff Bezos, Cardi B and Frank Robinson, though neither she nor her four other panelists brought up a 1970s-era photo of Behar at a Halloween party with darkened skin dressed as a "beautiful African woman." It was the second day that she ignored the issue. Neither ABC nor Behar has commented. All about the controversy:Video resurfaces of Joy Behar saying she dressed as 'beautiful African woman' A video, from a 2016 episode of "The View" began, making the rounds on Wednesday in which Behar addressed the years-old photo. In the video, she is seen bragging about a picture of herself where she boasted curly hair when she was 29 years old. “Joy, are you black?" then-co-host Raven-Symoné asks. “I was so cute,” Behar says, saying she dressed up as a “beautiful African woman" for a Halloween party and sported her natural curly hair and makeup that was "a little darker than my skin." The story has surfaced as various racial sandals continue to emerge, with Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam facing intense scrutiny for allegedly donning blackface for a Michael Jackson dance party more than 30 years ago. NBC last year cut ties with host Megyn Kelly after she created a furor by suggesting that it was OK for white people to wear blackface on Halloween. USA TODAY has contacted Behar's representatives for comment. Contributing: The Associated Press