Whoopi Goldberg's Most Controversial Moments

Warning: This article contains references to sexual assault, domestic violence, and genocide. 

Whoopi Goldberg is one of Hollywood's most talented figures — she's a member of the coveted EGOT club, a film producer, a screenwriter, a novelist, and a UNICEF ambassador, with the list going on. Nonetheless, Goldberg is also one of the industry's most controversial figures.

In 2007, Goldberg took on the role of co-host on ABC's talk show "The View," which is known for its discussions on diverse and often controversial topics. As the point of the show is to have an array of differing opinions, Goldberg was given a platform to freely share some of her unpopular opinions. Ranging from victim-blaming to downplaying important social movements, Goldberg's future at "The View" seemed to be in jeopardy on numerous occasions. Despite facing backlash for her remarks, Goldberg has managed to keep her seat at the table.

While nobody knows how much longer Goldberg will remain on "The View," she's adamant about staying true to herself. In a 2019 interview with The New York Times, Goldberg shared that she prefers to remain neutral in times of controversy because the public has unfairly labeled her as the bad guy in the past for things she did not do. "I don't know when somebody is really awful or whether someone has just put something out there about them," she explained. However, Goldberg's neutrality seems to have gotten her in trouble more often than not. Here are five of her most controversial moments.

Whoopi Goldberg's first major controversy happened in the 1990s when she publicly defended the use of blackface, a practice historically used to stereotype and ridicule Black people. During a 1993 Friars Club roast, a place known for its tasteless humor, Goldberg's then-boyfriend, actor Ted Danson, was slated to roast Goldberg, opting to do so by painting his face brown and using the N-word repeatedly. Although the audience was reportedly taken aback by the offensive humor, Goldberg appeared to thoroughly enjoy herself. In "Celebrity Tantrums: The Official Dirt," author Lisa Brandt delved into the details of the night of the roast, claiming that "Goldberg was delighted and laughed loudly."

After Danson faced public backlash for his performance, Goldberg took it upon herself to defend him. "We were not trying to be politically correct. We were trying to be funny for ourselves," Goldberg said at a subsequent press conference. Additionally, Goldberg read a statement from Danson, who was absent, which read, "There was too much love behind my words to ever be misconstrued as racist."

Besides defending Danson's use of blackface, Goldberg disclosed that she wrote most of the material Danson had used during the roast and arranged for a makeup artist to apply the blackface. In a separate statement, Goldberg expressed her confusion at the widespread criticism, stating, "Why anyone would take offense to Ted's roasting me in the tradition of the Friars Club is beyond me." Neither Goldberg nor Danson ever apologized for the incident.

When Bill Cosby, the once beloved Cliff Huxtable from "The Cosby Show," faced accusations of sexual assault and harassment from over a dozen women in 2014, it left the world stunned. Despite the allegations, Whoopi Goldberg decided to showcase his support for the disgraced actor during an episode of "The View," stating, "This is my opinion, and in America, still — I know it's a shock — but you're actually innocent until proven guilty. He has not been proven a rapist." She then turned to the audience and said, "Save your texts, save your nasty comments — I don't care."

As the Cosby case unfolded and more evidence of his misconduct emerged, Goldberg appeared to reconsider her stance on the matter during a 2015 episode of "The View." She couldn't believe that Cosby had never been arrested before and proceeded to question the statute of limitations. "You got a serial rapist; he's been on the streets for 30 years," Goldberg said of Cosby, adding, "I can't say any more 'innocent until proven guilty' because there's no way to prove it. We are the only proof that [the victims] have. We're the only backup they have."

Cosby was convicted in 2018 for drugging and sexually assaulting one woman, resulting in a sentence of three to 10 years in prison. However, in 2021, his conviction was overturned, leading to his release from prison. Goldberg did not publicly acknowledge his release. By 2023, over 60 women will have accused Cosby of sex crimes.

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

Another controversy plagued Whoopi Goldberg in 2016 when she voiced her controversial opinion on the Ray Rice domestic abuse scandal. Rice, a former NFL player with the Baltimore Ravens, was caught on video knocking out his then-fiancée, Janay Palmer, in an elevator and dragging her unconscious to their hotel room. Despite Palmer reportedly striking Rice first, the incident sparked widespread condemnation, leading to Rice's indefinite suspension from the NFL and the termination of his contract with the Ravens.

However, Goldberg took a different stance on "The View." During the segment, she shared, "If you make the choice, as a woman who is 4'3″, and you decide to hit a guy who is 6 foot tall and you're the last thing you want he wants to deal with that day and he hits you back, you cannot be surprised." She went on to state, "You have to teach women [not to] live with this idea that men have this chivalry thing still with them. Don't assume that that is still in place."

While domestic violence affects individuals regardless of gender, Goldberg's comments were criticized for potentially shifting blame onto the victim and perpetuating harmful stereotypes. Despite the backlash, Goldberg faced no formal reprimand for her remarks.

If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic abuse, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233. You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.

In 2016, Whoopi Goldberg found herself at the center of another controversy amid the #OscarsSoWhite movement. Rather than aligning with the cause, which spotlighted the overwhelming number of white nominees for the Academy Awards, Goldberg appeared to take a stance against it.

During an episode of "The View," where the hosts discussed the #OscarsSoWhite movement and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' pledge to diversify its board by 2020, Goldberg admitted her skepticism about the potential impact of the initiative. "My thing with this Oscar thing is, the issue is not the Academy," she said, explaining, "Even if you fill the academy with Black, Latino, and Asian members, if there's no one on the screen to vote for, you're not going to get the outcome that you want."

While Goldberg might have made a valid point, it was her subsequent statement that provoked anger among many. She said, "I won once, so it can't be that racist," adding, "I've been black the whole time." Goldberg won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1991 for her role in "Ghost." She was the only Black nominee in the category. During "The View," Goldberg went on to argue that rather than boycotting the annual ceremony, people should simply not go see movies that lack diversity, seemingly belittling the point. Since the inception of the Oscars in 1929 through the 2023 ceremony, only 6% of the nominees have been from underrepresented racial or ethnic backgrounds.

In 2022, Whoopi Goldberg faced criticism for insensitive remarks she made about the Holocaust — twice. In February, during a segment on "The View" discussing a Tennessee school's decision to ban a graphic novel about the Holocaust, titled "Maus," Goldberg said, "Let's be truthful, the Holocaust isn't about race; it's not." She continued, "It's about man's inhumanity to man; that's what it's about. These are two groups of white people."

After facing backlash, the actor-turned-talk show host took to her X, formerly Twitter, account to apologize, stating, "On today's show, I said the Holocaust 'is not about race, but about man's inhumanity to man.' I should have said it is about both. I stand corrected." She has since deleted the tweet. Despite her apology, ABC, the network hosting "The View," suspended Goldberg for two weeks.

However, the incident didn't stop Goldberg from repeating her mistakes, literally. In December 2022, Goldberg reiterated her statement about the WW2 tragedy, claiming again that the Holocaust wasn't racially motivated in an interview with The Sunday Times. "You could not tell a Jew on a street," she said, adding that the Jewish people shouldn't have believed the Nazis when they identified them as a race. After facing further criticism, Goldberg issued an apology to Entertainment Tonight, stating, "My sincere apologies again, especially to everyone who thought this was a fresh rehash of the subject. I promise it was not," and added that she had a lot to learn.