Becca Monaghan
Feb 02, 2022
YouTube
Sister Act star Whoopi Goldberg apologised for her "wrong and hurtful comments" about the Holocaust and has since been suspended for two weeks.
On The View, she said: "Words matter, and mine are no exception. I regret my comments and I stand corrected. I also stand with the Jewish people."
The apology comes after Goldberg remarked that the Holocaust wasn't about race.
The panel discussed the decision by a school board in Tennessee to ban Maus, a graphic novel about the state-sponsored murder that saw around 6 million Jews killed by the Nazis.
"Let's be truthful about it, because the Holocaust isn't about race. It's not about race … because it's about man's inhumanity to man," the host said.
Her co-hosts quickly challenged her comments, with Joy Behar pointing out that Jews were considered "a different race" by the Nazis.
Ana Navarro said it was about "white supremacy", while Sara Haines said the Nazis "didn't see [Jews] as white".
"But these are two white groups of people … you're missing the point. The minute you turn it into race, it goes down this alley. Let's talk about it for what it is.
"It's how people treat each other. That's the problem," continued Goldberg.
Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter
This is far from the first time that the actor has been wrapt up in trouble following some controversial comments.
Defending Bill Cosby
Goldberg was criticised for her candid, outspoken defence following the allegations of sexual assault against Bill Cosby who had more than 25 women accuse him of rape or assault.
On a 2014 episode of The View when actress Barbara Bowman spoke out with her claims, the host said: "Quite honestly, having been on both sides of this, where people allege that you do something, it doesn't matter now, people have something in their head,"
"I have a lot of questions for the lady. Maybe she'll come forward."
She then insinuated that "perhaps the police might have believed it or the hospital" if the allegations had been brought forward earlier.
"I'm gonna reserve my judgment because I have a lot of questions," Goldberg said, later changing her opinion in 2015, saying she could no longer say Cosby was "innocent until proven guilty."
"If this is to be tried in the court of public opinion, I got to say all of the information that's out there kind of points to guilt," she said.
"It looks bad, Bill. Either speak up or shut up."
Whoopi Goldberg Discusses Bill Cosby's Allegations with ABC News' Dan Abramswww.youtube.com
Clash with Donald Trump
The former president once demanded to see Barack Obama's birth certificate during a 2011 episode of The View. Trump wrongfully claimed that Obama was not born in the US and could not legally be president.
"No one has ever said this to George Bush - I'm sorry, is Hawaii not part of the United States?" Goldberg quizzed.
"Isn't Hawaii still part of the United States? Am I blind?"
Trump said he loved Goldberg and this wasn't about race. Obama was "hiding something."
"I think that's the biggest pile of dog mess I've heard in ages," she hit back.
"I've never heard any white president asked to be shown his birth certificate.
"That's BS."
Rosie O'Donnell run-ins
While Rosie O'Donnell and Goldberg only co-hosted The View together for a year, the pair had their fair share of run-ins.
In one heated debate, Goldberg told O'Donnell: "You are a white lady telling me what's racist to you."
"You don't have to be black to know what racism is," O'Donnell fired back.
In O'Donnell's book, she opened up about the tension between the two.
"Some people would say, 'What's going on with Whoopi?' I was like, 'Are you watching the show? It's pretty much right there.' I have no desire for a pubic feud," O'Donnell wrote.
"Whoopi Goldberg was as mean as anyone has ever been on television to me, personally - while I was sitting there.
"The worst experience I've ever had on live television was interacting with her.
"She's a minority, feminist, smart, funny, groundbreaking legend who is black in America," she continued.
"I'm never going to not have respect for Whoopi Goldberg. But that was a painful experience, personally and professionally."
Whoopi Goldberg loses it with Rosie O'Donnell on The Viewwww.youtube.com
Awkward interview with Cara Delevingne: "No honey, I'm famous"
In 2015, Cara Delevingne was promoting her movie Paper Towns. During an infamous interview, the model was slammed as being "in a mood" when giving cold responses. The hosts even told Delevingne to "take a nap" when she concluded the interview.
Later on The View, Goldberg said: "Suck. It. Up,"
"She's not a famous actress. She's a newbie. No honey, I'm famous.
"It isn't easy, but we are privileged for what we do," Goldberg continued.
"We are so lucky. If you are supposed to be doing this, you gotta find a way to suck it up. You don't get to be crappy to people - they're doing their job too."
Defending NFL star Ray Rice
Goldberg appeared to defend NFL player, Ray Rice, after hitting his wife. She claimed that his wife admitted to hitting him first.
"If you make the choice, as a woman who is 4-foot-3, and you decide to hit a guy who is 6-foot-tall, and you're the last thing he wants to deal with that day and he hits you back, you cannot be surprised," Goldberg said in 2014.
"I know I'm going to catch a lot of hell, and I don't care.
"But you have to teach women, do not live with this idea that men have this chivalry thing still with them, don't assume that that is still in place."
It came following her remark that Jay-Z would have been excused for retaliating to Beyoncé's sister Solange Knowles after a viral clip emerged of her attacking him.
"I think Solange was quite ready for him to do whatever he was going to do," Goldberg said.
"This is the thing: If anybody hits you, you have the right – I know that many people are raised in a different way – but if a woman hits you, to me, you have the right to hit her back."
Goldberg added that "if I slap a man, he has every right to slap me back."
Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.
Top 100
The Conversation (0)