NEW YORK — What started as a light-hearted moment on The View quickly spiraled into a visibly uncomfortable clash between longtime co-hosts Whoopi Goldberg and Joy Behar, leaving the audience stunned — and the production team scrambling.

“Was it a joke… or something deeper?” one insider asked after the show.

 THE MOMENT THAT STUNNED THE PANEL

The tension erupted during a segment about aging in Hollywood, when Joy Behar, 81, playfully commented on how she’s “still got it.”

Without missing a beat, Whoopi interjected:

“Well, you’ve got something… I just wouldn’t call it youth!”

The audience laughed — but Joy didn’t.

“Excuse me?” she replied, half-laughing, half-staring, before adding, “We’re doing that now?”

 OFF-SCRIPT AND TOO PERSONAL?

Sources close to the production say the moment was not in the script and that Whoopi had gone rogue, pushing a long-running inside joke too far.

“They tease each other all the time, but this landed wrong,” said one crew member. “Joy looked genuinely embarrassed.”

During the next segment, Joy reportedly skipped a line of discussion and remained unusually quiet, while Whoopi tried to play it off.

 BACKSTAGE SILENCE

According to two insiders who spoke under condition of anonymity, Behar didn’t speak to Whoopi during the commercial break, and both women sat in separate corners backstage during rehearsals for the next day.

“We were all holding our breath,” said a staffer. “When Joy doesn’t talk — that’s a sign.”

 A HISTORY OF FRICTION?

This isn’t the first time sparks have flown between the two. Sources inside ABC say there have been increasing creative tensions between Goldberg and Behar over the show’s direction, especially regarding who dominates the Hot Topics table.

“Joy has been on The View longer than anyone. She’s not going to let Whoopi steamroll her on-air — not without consequences,” said a veteran producer.

 ABC’S DAMAGE CONTROL

As the moment quickly spread across social media — with hashtags like #WhoopiShade and #JusticeForJoy trending — ABC issued a vague statement:

“The View thrives on unscripted, real-time conversation. What happened today reflects the passion and personalities our audience has come to expect.”

Insiders, however, claim executives held a closed-door meeting to discuss whether a mediated sit-down between the two hosts was necessary.

 WHAT’S NEXT?

Rumors are now swirling that Joy Behar may skip an upcoming taping — or use her platform to clap back in her own signature style.

Will this spark a cold war at the Hot Topics table… or is a fiery on-air makeup moment coming next week?

All eyes are on tomorrow’s show.

Stay tuned.