Joy Behar defends Woody Allen on 'The View': 'He has been exonerated by the experts'

Joy Behar, a co-host of ABC's "The View," defended renowned director and alleged pedophile Woody Allen, saying that she believes his side of the story and would "work with him anytime."

What's the background?

Allen is accused of sexually abusing multiple women, including his own adopted daughter Dylan Farrow when she was only 7 years old. Dylan Farrow's brother, Ronan Farrow, has been a tireless advocate for her, calling out people in the entertainment industry for continuing to work with Allen.

Allen would also openly have a relationship with and later marry another adopted daughter, Soon-Yi Previn. The discovery of this relationship would end Allen's marriage to Previn's mother, Mia Farrow. Previn has defended Allen against Dylan Farrow's accusations.

What did Behar say?

"There has to be a point," Behar said, "where you have to say 'What am I going to believe? The authorities who investigated this, or people who are making accusations?'"

Behar also said she was "still mad" that former Senator and "Saturday Night Live" star Al Franken "never got his day in court, that he was just accused and suddenly he's out of the Senate."

Franken voluntarily left the Senate after a photo emerged that seemed to show him groping a female radio host while she was asleep on a plane following a USO tour in 2006. Other women also accused Franken of sexual misconduct.

"I'm not defending Woody's behavior with Soon-Yi, that was deplorable," Behar continued. "The girl was a child. But, you know, as we all know, when you raise a child, once a child is in the family and then they get grown up and then you marry them — it's kind of creepy. Ok? It's creepy, but it's not a crime. She was over 18, apparently, when he married her. So — but this, with the little girl, I mean he has been exonerated by the experts."

Behar's co-host Sunny Hostin, a former federal prosecutor, shot back, pointing out that "abusers groom their character witnesses just as thoroughly as they groom their victims."