Conversations with Ambassador Sean Bardoo- A New Limited Series

Over the years, my work has given me the opportunity to meet and engage with an extraordinary range of people from different parts of the world. I have had conversations with members of royal families, entertainers, television personalities, models, humanitarian leaders, advocates, and individuals who have made significant contributions in their respective fields.

Those experiences have now inspired a new limited series, Conversations with Ambassador Sean Bardoo.

The series brings together a selection of conversations I have had with distinguished personalities, with each episode offering an opportunity to learn more about their professional journeys, personal experiences, humanitarian interests, and the work that has brought them to where they are today.

Among the individuals I have had the privilege of interviewing are Prince Manvendra Singh Gohil of India, a member of the Indian royal family and internationally recognized advocate; Prince Dimitri of Yugoslavia, a member of a distinguished European royal family; Lu Sierra, former Miss Universe coach and internationally recognized supermodel; Harold D'Souza, a distinguished humanitarian and former member of a White House presidential advisory initiative during the Obama administration; and Sherri Shepherd, the acclaimed actress, comedian, television personality, and former co-host of The View.

Each conversation has its own character because every guest comes from a different background and has taken a different path. That variety is one of the things I have enjoyed most about these interviews.

I have never viewed these encounters simply as opportunities to speak with well-known personalities. For me, the most interesting part of an interview is understanding what has shaped the individual sitting across from me. A person's public achievements may be widely known, but there is often much more to discover in the experiences, decisions, challenges, and relationships that contributed to their journey.

That is the approach I wanted to bring to this series.

Conversations with Ambassador Sean Bardoo will explore the people behind the public profiles while still giving audiences an opportunity to hear about their careers, accomplishments, causes, and areas of influence. The conversations move across a number of fields, from royalty and entertainment to humanitarian work, advocacy, fashion, and public service.

My involvement in humanitarian work has also influenced the way I approach these conversations. I have always been interested in individuals who use their position, experience, or platform to contribute to something beyond themselves. Those discussions often provide some of the most meaningful moments in an interview, particularly when a guest speaks openly about the causes they support and the reasons those causes matter to them.

At the same time, I want the series to remain genuine and conversational. Not every meaningful moment in an interview comes from a carefully prepared question. Sometimes it comes from allowing a conversation to develop naturally and giving the guest the space to speak about something they are passionate about.

Having had the opportunity to conduct these interviews, I am pleased to now bring them together under one series. It is a reflection of the people I have met, the conversations we have shared, and the wide range of perspectives I have encountered through my work.

I am particularly looking forward to allowing audiences to experience these conversations for themselves and to discover aspects of each guest that may not always be visible through their public work.

Conversations with Ambassador Sean Bardoo is coming soon.

Royalty. Celebrities. Humanitarians. Visionaries. Advocates.

One series. A collection of extraordinary conversations.

CONVERSATIONS WITH AMBASSADOR SEAN BARDOO

Where Influence Meets Inspiration.

Beyond the Podium: Inside "An Evening with Joy Behar" in Provincetown with Ambassador Sean Bardoo

Ambassador Sean Bardoo, Joy Behar, and Judy Gold at Provincetown Town Hall.

In my line of work as a diplomat, you quickly learn that real human connection rarely begins behind formal negotiating tables. Often, the most profound breakthroughs happen when people gather with open minds, lower their defenses, and share in the universal language of humor. That exact spirit brought me to "An Evening with Joy Behar" on Sunday, August 9, 2026, at the historic Provincetown Town Hall on Commercial Street in Cape Cod. The evening was organized around a vital shared cause: raising critical funds for Sandy Hook Promise, a national non-profit dedicated to protecting children and preventing gun violence before it happens.

Serving as the host and conversational instigator for the night was two-time Emmy Award-winning comedian, writer, and free-speech advocate Judy Gold. Having long respected Judy’s sharp intellect and fearless stage presence, standing alongside her and catching up during the event was a personal highlight. Known for her acclaimed Off-Broadway work, her book Yes, I Can Say That, and her podcast Kill Me Now, Judy brought her trademark energy to the stage. Her natural rapport with Joy set the tone for the entire event, demonstrating how humor can serve as a rallying point around serious, real-world issues.

Understanding the resonance of the evening means looking at the career of Joy Behar. Born Josephine Victoria Occhiuto in Brooklyn, New York, Joy earned a degree in Sociology from Queens College and a Master's in English Education from Stony Brook University. Before stepping into show business, she spent years shaping young minds as a high school English teacher on Long Island. Her transition into media was an unconventional journey: in the early 1980s, she worked as a receptionist and producer at ABC’s Good Morning America while honing her sharp, observational stand-up routine in New York comedy clubs like Catch a Rising Star and Carolines.

In 1997, Barbara Walters named Joy an original co-host of ABC's The View, where she became an anchor of the "Hot Topics" desk for nearly three decades. A defining era of the show’s cultural impact was her time sharing the table with fellow comedian Sherri Shepherd. Their dynamic brought a rare warmth, sharp timing, and authentic give-and-take to daytime television, showing how two women from different backgrounds could debate intense political news, trade big laughs, and maintain deep mutual respect; a partnership that helped secure them a shared Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Talk Show Host in 2009. Outside of television, Joy has remained a dedicated playwright and theater artist. Her comedy play My First Ex-Husband, a hilarious adaptation of true marital stories that also starred Judy Gold, recently completed a celebrated run at The Huntington's Calderwood Pavilion in Boston.

During the audience Q&A session at Town Hall, I had the privilege of being handed the microphone. Thinking about her decades sitting across from global newsmakers, world leaders, and cultural icons, I posed a question to her: "Joy, having interviewed so many high-profile figures around the world over your career, is there anyone left on the planet you would still love to sit down and interview?"

Without missing a beat, Joy flashed her signature sly grin and fired back: "President Putin!"

Beyond the sharp wit of her answer, her response touched on a subject that resonates deeply in international relations. In diplomacy, we often seek dialogue with those who seem most complex or challenging to engage. The drive to push for direct answers, question authority, and shine a light on power is a responsibility shared by diplomats, journalists, and satirists alike.

As the event came to a close, the underlying mission of the evening remained front and center. The funds raised at Provincetown Town Hall went directly toward supporting Sandy Hook Promise and its early-intervention safety programs. It was an unforgettable night that underscored a fundamental truth: whether through global mediation, policy work, or an evening of live comedy on Cape Cod, our ultimate goal remains building a safer, more empathetic world for the generations coming up behind us.