Joy Behar is facing criticism after changing her tune.
Fans of The View are standing up for a returning guest who once received harsh backlash during an appearance years ago.
Natalie “Nadya” Suleman, famously known as “Octomom,” was a guest on The View earlier this week.
Natalie rose to fame in 2009 when she gave birth to the world’s first surviving octuplets.
At the time, Natalie already had six children, so adding eight more to the mix made her a single mom of 14.
Natalie’s decision to selectively undergo in-vitro fertilization sparked outrage.
The media dragged Natalie Suleman in earlier years
She soon became the target of nationwide criticism for her decision to become a single mom to 14 children without any financial stability.
Among those who formerly criticized Natalie were some then-hosts of The View, including Joy Behar, Whoopi Goldberg, Sherri Shepherd, and Elisabeth Hasselbeck.
One example was a comment Sherri Shepherd made during Natalie’s February 2010 appearance on The View.
“You have this maniacal laugh. It just throws everybody,” Sherri told Natalie.
Amid all of the criticism she received, Natalie stayed out of the spotlight for the majority of the last decade, focusing on her personal life without sharing much with the public.
That was until recently when she sat down to talk to the ladies of The View: Joy Behar, Sunny Hostin, Sara Haines, Ana Navarro, and Alyssa Farah Griffin.
Natalie was treated with respect during her appearance on The View
During their chat, Natalie opened up about her upcoming movie, I Was Octomom: The Natalie Suleman Story, premiering on Lifetime on March 8.
Natalie’s segment was shared on The View’s YouTube page in a video titled, “‘Octomom’ Natalie Suleman Takes Control Of Her Story In New Movie and Docuseries.”
It was captioned, “Suleman joins ‘The View’ and opens up about motherhood today and the brutal backlash from the public.”
During Natalie’s visit to ABC Studio B in New York City, she wasn’t chastised like she had been previously.
But still, The View viewers recalled Joy Behar once berating Natalie and took aim at Joy for her previous “relentless” mocking.
The View critics put Joy Behar on blast for previously ‘mocking’ Natalie
Taking to the YouTube video’s comments section, critics sounded off.
“Octo mom has been the punchline to many of Joy’s jokes… Joy and The View are multifaced people,” wrote one such critic in the YouTube comments.
A second YouTube user added, “Really?? This segment is like what…16yrs late and NOW y’all want to talk someone you mocked. A joke.”
@energizerbunny99 recalled, “I remember when they mocked her laugh in hot topics back in the day.”
Also, taking a jab at Joy Behar, @DenisColeman-r8r wrote, “I only watch because of the mom here. What [beautiful] children. She has done a great job. And folks were making fun of [her]. One that’s on the stage [allegedly].”
Another The View critic commented, “I remember when The View mocked her relentlessly.”
Natalie explains to Joy why she waited to reemerge in the public eye
During her chat with Joy, Natalie explained why she waited more than a decade to return to TV and share her story.
Natalie told Joy that she’d been waiting for the opportunity to share her true story and to “have a voice”—something she claims she didn’t have years ago.
Natalie added that she was also persuaded by her octuplets, who are now 16 years old and have been “strongly” encouraging her to speak out nearly two decades after their births.
The View airs weekdays at 11/10c on ABC.