Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker stopped by “The View” on Friday to talk politics, but before he could do that, host Joy Behar made him confirm that he’s a billionaire. Twice, in fact.
The irony is, Behar’s curiosity about his wealth came almost immediately after a segment in which the ABC hosts agreed that it’s not OK to use someone’s finances as a measure of them as a person. The topic came about as the women discussed a recent argument that took place on “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.”
So, when Pritzker took the stage, Behar offered him a compliment around his money, before outright asking him to confirm his worth.
“I was trashing billionaires, but you’re one of them, and I like you,” Behar said. “They’re not all the way that I presented them. You are a billionaire, are you not?”
At such a blunt approach, both Pritzker and Behar’s co-hosts — which included Oscar-winner Ariana DeBose on Friday as a guest host — cracked up. But Sara Haines and Alyssa Farah Griffin were quick to also lightly scold her.
“We don’t talk about money!” Farah Griffin exclaimed through her laughter, as Haines added, “Should we all talk about what we make?”
“Yeah, you were just trashing the people talking about money on television,” Pritzker piled on. Still, the governor was a good sport about it, confirming that he is in fact a billionaire and noting that it’s not the first time his status has been awkwardly addressed.
“At the Democratic convention, you know, right before I went on stage, Bernie Sanders got out there and trashed billionaires, and they’re like, ‘And here’s JB Pritzker!’” he recalled. “And then I talked about how Donald Trump isn’t a real billionaire.”
“He’s not. But you are,” Behar retorted, once again prompting the table to crack up at her bluntness.
“The View” airs weekdays at 11 a.m. ET on ABC.
