NEWSJoy Behar Brands Karoline Leavitt a 'DEI Hire' as 'The View' Co-Hosts Scrutinize Her 32-Year Age Difference With Husband: 'She Married Rich'
Joy Behar went after Karoline Leavitt on 'The View.'
July 9 2026, Updated 2:44 p.m. ET
Joy Behar took several shots at Karoline Leavitt during the Wednesday, July 8, episode of The View.
While discussing the White House press secretary's recent controversial comments claiming Gen-Z isn't financially secure because they're lazy, the comedian called her words "gross."
'The View' hosts criticized Karoline Leavitt for calling Gen-Z 'lazy.'
The new mother-of-two's comments came as young people have been embracing the idea of democratic socialism more than ever before.
"The problem is each generation has not started on the same base. So this generation buys their dollar, goes almost half as far as the dollar did in 2006," Sara Haines, 48, explained. "Millennials are the first generation that will not be better off than their parents. Home prices are up from 2005 to 2025, 115 percent. And AI is coming for a lot of jobs."
'The View' Co-Hosts Call Out Karoline Leavitt's Privilege
Joy Behar called out the White House employee for her comments given that she 'married a rich guy.'
"Meanwhile, she has all these things. She got an education. She married a rich guy, so talk about a DEI hire," Behar, 83, quipped, sparking laughter from the live audience.
"I think to Joy’s point, you know, it’s really rich for her to, at 28 years old, married to a 65-year-old, I mean that’s her choice — he’s worth $61 million, so I’m not sure where she comes off saying that Gen-Zers are lazy," expressed Sunny Hostin, 57.
"I’m raising Gen-Zers. They work constantly and I know, I can see it. They make a lot less money. They live paycheck to paycheck… Two thirds of Gen-Zs are now in the workforce, 42 percent of them say they are living paycheck to paycheck," the former prosecutor revealed.
'She May Have a Blind Spot'
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Karoline Leavitt, 28, married Nicholas Riccio, 61, in 2025.
Alyssa Farah Griffin, 38, chimed in to somewhat defend Leavitt, noting she's been successful in her own right.
"I do think that’s probably why she may have a blind spot to what the generational struggles are because I talk about this constantly. It’s never been harder for a generation to get ahead in the last 50 years," she noted. "In the last 50 years, in 1980, the dollar went three times further than it did today. The average first-time home buyer is now in their 40s. This is not the American dream that we were promised our parent has is not as attainable with the rise of technology."
Alyssa Farah Griffin noted the White House staffer was successful in her own right before getting married.
As OK! reported, Leavitt said on Jesse Watters Primetime that Gen-Z was "raised with just silver spoons in their mouths."
"That’s not the values this country was built on," she insisted. "It was built on meritocracy and hard work, pulling up your sleeves, pulling yourself up from your bootstraps, and achieving the American dream, and we need to protect it with all we’ve got."
Karoline Leavitt said Gen-Z was 'raised with just silver spoons in their mouths.'
"It’s laziness, and it’s liberal indoctrination," she continued. "I will say, silver lining, so many parents I talked to across the country are homeschooling, are turning to private education, are turning towards Christian schools across the country because they don’t want their children being taught these communist and liberal ideas slammed down their throat."
