Those tuning in to The View on Wednesday got a shock as Star Trek actor and guest Anson Mount planted an unexpected kiss on panellist Joy Behar.
Mount, 53, greeted co-hosts Whoopi Goldberg and Sarah Haines before getting to Behar, 83, who leaned in for a kiss on the cheek. Then, she appeared to pull Mount closer while he also leaned further in for a seconds-long kiss on the lips.
Everyone was stunned as Anson Mount and Joy Behar’s kiss lingered. YouTube/TheView
The View panel and live audience erupted into squeals and laughter, with the smooch leaving Mount with a smudge of Behar’s red lipstick on his face.
Other co-host Sunny Hostin handed Mount a tissue to wipe his mouth as Behar quipped: “I’m old, but I’m not dead.”
Mount replied: “That’s it, Joy, because I am.”
Goldberg attempted to get the interview back on track but struggled as everyone tried to collect themselves.
“I need a little bit of a touch-up,” Behar said. “Last time [Mount] was here, he brought me flowers for my birthday, and it’s never been the same between us.”
“I got married, so…” Mount chimed in while Behar clapped back, “That’s what I mean.”
Mount, who was promoting the fourth season of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, has been married to Darah Trang since 2018. Together, they have two daughters Clover Ngọc, four, and Violet, one.
The actor revealed his wife’s reaction to his on-air smack of the lips with Behar to TV Insider.
Behar grabbed a tissue so Mount could wipe the swipe of red lipstick off his mouth. YouTube/TheView
“I asked my wife to promise me she wouldn’t divorce me. She thought it was hilarious,” he said, with a laugh.
“I think people just assume that I’m not around anymore because I have two young kids. I think maybe they were surprised to see that I’m still alive.”
Behar has been part of The View for 27 years, joining the show in its debut season in 1997.
She took a brief break between 2013 and 2015 but otherwise has remained a full-time co-host.
Mount said his wife of eight years thought his kiss with Behar was ‘hilarious’. Getty/Instagram/@ansonmount
Mount is best known for his television roles as Captain Christopher Pike in the Star Trek franchise and as Cullen Bohannon in the AMC western series Hell on Wheels.
He also gained early fame starring opposite Britney Spears in the 2002 film Crossroads.