Whoopi Goldberg may be absent from The View this week, but she’s still making headlines, both for her luxurious getaway and the lingering fallout from her recent controversial remarks. The 69-year-old EGOT winner is currently in Italy to accept an award for her memoir Bits and Pieces, and will be off the air for the remainder of the week. The announcement was made by co-host Joy Behar during Monday’s broadcast, where she couldn’t help but joke about the situation.
“We are all jealous of Whoopi today because she’s in Italy. I hope it’s 100 degrees,” Behar quipped at the top of the show. “She’s in Italy accepting an award for her book ‘Bits and Pieces,’ so she will be out this week.” Behar is set to moderate in Goldberg’s absence, with Ana Navarro joining the panel for Monday’s “Hot Topics” segment. The show will soon begin its annual summer hiatus on June 30 and is expected to return with its full cast, including Goldberg, on July 7.
But not all viewers are missing Whoopi Goldberg. The outspoken host has faced intense criticism after asserting that Black people in the U.S. are “as oppressed” as citizens living under the Iranian regime, comments that stirred up significant backlash online.
Whoopi Goldberg’s Absence Sparks Backlash
Following the announcement of her time off, social media was flooded with pointed reactions. Some questioned the timing of her absence, while others called for her permanent removal. “Hope this racist woman would do us a favor and stay in Italy,” one commenter wrote bluntly. Another added, “Highly racist woman and should be sacked… Disgraceful, uneducated woman.” Others chimed in with jabs like, “Skipped or suspended?” and “Lol, right! She just suddenly decided to take a break after more idiotic comments.” Someone else echoed, “Or is ABC just trying to cover up the fact that they suspended her after those dumb comments she made.”
Meanwhile, Goldberg took to social media to share a snapshot from her time at the 15th annual Taobuk-Taormina International Book Festival. “Thank you (Grazie!) @taobukfestival for giving me a beautiful experience in an extraordinary environment, an honorable award and your kindness,” she wrote in the caption of social media post. “Books are so important to all the world.”
Whoopi Goldberg was honored with the Taobuk Award for her memoir, Bits and Pieces: My Mother, My Brother and Me. But whether Goldberg’s absence is simply a planned break or a convenient escape from controversy, it’s clear that The View is as divided off-screen as it is on.
