Shaq blames false Joy Behar rumor on Charles Barkley

Despite what you may have seen on social media, there is no feud brewing between Shaquille O’Neal and The View’s Joy Behar.

Shaq embarked on a media tour Wednesday morning on ABC, joining Good Morning America, followed by Live with Kelly and Mark and The View to promote the new game show he’s hosting for the network, Lucky 13, which will premiere this Thursday night. During his appearance on The View, comedian Joy Behar was quick to address an internet rumor that made the rounds on social media earlier this month.

Shaq’s next gig if ‘Inside the NBA’ really goes away? pic.twitter.com/kAQfppINZx

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) July 17, 2024

“Apparently there’s a rumor going around, a big rumor by the way,” Behar told Shaq. “The rumor is that he kicked me out of one of his restaurants and banned me for life.”

Here’s the rumor, which started out as a meme on The Patriots Lovers Facebook page and undoubtedly got liked by one of your aunts or uncles.

❌ No, Shaq didn’t throw Joy Behar out of his restaurant and ban her for life. The claim originated from a website that includes a satire disclaimer. https://t.co/il3vFtInCN pic.twitter.com/F5l921nz9F

— snopes.com (@snopes) July 11, 2024

And just in case there was any doubt, Shaq confirmed that he never had Behar thrown out or banned from one of his restaurants.

“Charles Barkley, I know you started that, and I hate you,” Shaq said. “Joy, I want to say I would never kick you out of a restaurant. I love you. Charles Barkley started that and Charles, we hate you…Charles Barkley probably started that one.”

Further confirming there is no feud, Shaq proceeded to give Behar some sort of VIP card to his Big Chicken restaurant chain. Just as implausible as Behar getting kicked out of Shaq’s chicken restaurant, however, is the idea that Barkley crafted the rumor. Barkley, who joined social media for the first time earlier this year, probably can’t pronounce “meme” let alone make one. Although, Barkley may have been one of the people who clicked the like button on the rumor.

[The View]