Whoopi Goldberg shocks fans by admitting her drunk talk got her labeled a racist — then says, “I’m not one.”NH
The View moderator Whoopi Goldberg would like you to know that she’s not racist.
The issue came up on Thursday’s live episode after the Oscar-winning Ghost star introduced a Hot Topic about Democratic Maine politician Graham Platner’s problematic past — which segued into a confusing admission by the 69-year-old Hollywood legend.
Goldberg and her cohosts discussed Platner’s controversial skull tattoo, which the political candidate — hoping to unseat Sen. Susan Collins — said he had covered amid controversy surrounding the image that many connected to Nazi symbols.
“When you’re drunk, you tell the truth,” panelist Joy Behar said when the discussion centered on Platner noting that he got the tattoo in 2007, during a night of drinking in Croatia while he served with the Marine Corps.
Behar then invoked prior criticism for Mel Gibson, the actor who, after being arrested in 2006, was accused of anti-Semitism for the words he used during the incident.
“When I have a couple of glasses of wine, I don’t start spouting Nazi slogans,” Behar joked, prompting Goldberg to bring up her own journey with sobriety.
“When I was drinking, strange stuff came out of my mouth, yes. You know what, nothing like that to us now, but to people then, it would’ve sounded…” Goldberg said, with Behar cutting her off to say, “Yeah, but it wasn’t racist. It wasn’t anti-Semitic.”
Goldberg replied, “You don’t know that,” to which Behar again stressed, “I do know that.”
Goldberg elaborated on her point, telling her colleagues, “I can’t tell you that when I used to get drunk, I didn’t do stupid stuff,” adding, “I know I drank and did stupid stuff, and I took responsibility for it.”
She said she wanted to take such responsibility “before it’s uncovered by other people,” and turned toward the camera to say, “And don’t think I don’t think y’all will be looking for stuff. You can’t find anything of me drunk, because I haven’t drank in years.”
The show went to a commercial break, with Goldberg bringing the topic back into rotation upon its return.
“Welcome back. Before we start, I just want to point out that my point was that people say stupid stuff sometimes when they’re inebriated,” she said. “I’m not a racist. I know how folks like to send that stuff in. Please don’t do that.”
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Cohosts of The View — including Goldberg — have long spoken out against instances of racism in America, including in July when Republican panelist Ana Navarro called out people in her party who traveled to the controversial Alligator Alcatraz immigrant detention centers in Florida as if they were tourist destinations.
The View airs weekdays at 11 a.m. ET/10 a.m. PT on ABC.
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