Joy Behar isn't afraid to express herself

Saying exactly what she thinks has taken Joy Behar far.

The co-host of "The View" is known for being funny and fearlessly opinionated on the air, whether she's questioning a politician or sparring with a pundit.

If "The View" has become "TV's most talked-about talk show" (as it was described by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg when it made Time's 100 most influential list), then Behar's verbal agility deserves much of the credit.

Q When you and Ann Coulter spar on "Larry King Live," it's like watching a verbal boxing match. What's your style?

A With Ann or anybody else, I'm basically not a long-winded type of talker. I'm more like a jabber. I get in; I get out; I get in; I get out -- like that. So that's what I do. She is like most extreme right-wing talkers: They filibuster ... and dance around the question. They're dancers. I'm a jabber. She's a dancer.

Q What do you think of Fred Armisen's impression of you on "Saturday Night Live"?

A I think he's right on. I think he's got me down. He gets the fidgeting. I'm a constant fidgeter. It's probably why I don't weigh 200 pounds, because I keep working it off by moving constantly and fidgeting and fixing my hair. And this phrase, "So what? Who cares?" -- I realize that I say that a lot and that it's basically a philosophy of life.

A Well, Rush Limbaugh is a great target because he's the one who said, among other things, that Michael J. Fox was faking his movements ... to get publicity. So he's quite capable of crossing the line. ... I think that her main problem is that she wasn't getting the laughs. The joke needed to be a little bit more pointed. Because if it's funny, you get away with it. If it's not funny enough, then you veer into bitterness when you're attacking the opposite team. I think that was a little bit problematic for her. But she was funny on other stuff. And anyway, they love comedians and what we say until they don't love what we say. And then we're in trouble again. Remember, the role of the court jester is to tell the king he's full of baloney. That's what our job is.

Q You've talked recently about considering getting married to your longtime boyfriend. Who on "The View" makes the bridesmaid cut?

A Well, I'm not going to have any bridesmaids, because I'm not Bridezilla. And there's nothing worse than women ... over 50 wearing bridesmaids' gowns. It's not attractive, especially the way they usually are, although my bridesmaids would probably all be wearing black, so they'd look good. I'm not going to have bridesmaids and a big wedding like that. I might have a party afterward, but I'm not going to make a big deal of the ceremony. I don't really want to take vows in public. It's none of their business what I say. I think that's a really private moment.

Q When you think of some of the classic female groups on TV, who does the current group of women on "The View" have more in common with, "The Golden Girls" or the "Sex and the City" women?