The program, which was taped a week prior, was a salute to Behar's time on the show. Special guests included Alan Alda, Joan Rivers, Tony Bennett, Regis Philbin and Meredith Vieira.
The 70-year-old standup comic and writer began her co-host duties with the first episode of "The View" in August 1997. Walters' idea for a talk show with women hosts kicking around the news of the day, followed by celebrity guests, proved to be a success from the start.
Walters recalled learning about Behar after Philbin took her to hear her nightclub act.
The network has not named a replacement for Behar. ABC recently announced that Jenny McCarthy would replace Elisabeth Hasselbeck, who left for a job at Fox News Channel. Producers face another big decision next year when Walters retires.
The changes will give "The View" a chance to reach out to a younger audience. The median age of a typical viewer is 61.6 years old, according to the Nielsen company. That's about two years older than "The Talk," the CBS lookalike show that has had a particularly strong summer. "The Talk" has recorded four of its six most-watched weeks on the air during this summer.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
