Why Whoopi Goldberg Is Suddenly Absent From ‘The View’

Whoopi Goldberg on The View
ABC

On Wednesday’s (May 14) new episode of The View, the panelist lineup looked a bit different than it usually does this time of the week. Whoopi Goldberg, who is usually present and moderating on Wednesday episodes, was unexpectedly absent from the lineup, so Joy Behar took the lead with Ana Navarro coming along early to join ranks with Sara Haines, Sunny Hostin, and Alyssa Farah Griffin.

Behar announced the reason for Goldberg’s absence at the top of the hour.

“Whoopi’s got some kind of little bug,” she explained, clarifying, “Not Covid, though, not Covid. She was wearing a mask yesterday. She wasn’t feeling well, but she’s coming back tomorrow — supposedly, if she feels better.”

Goldberg was previously present for the live shows on Monday and Tuesday, in which she engaged in the cohost’s spirited discussions of Donald Trump‘s very controversial $400 million plane gift from the royal family in Qatar and his speech about the “fat drug shot” and his businessman friend who gets them cheaper in the U.K. than in the U.S. She did noticeably fend off a cough during some of her discussions during those hours.

Goldberg is the longest-running (consecutively, at least) cohost currently on the show, so her absences, whether planned or not, tend to make headlines. She previously missed the show in March so she could fly to Italy for a fashion house commitment she made, and she was also out with the flu back in February. Behar’s mention of Covid-19 probably came as a result of the fact that last summer, in July 2024, Goldberg had to call out due to a positive Covid diagnosis after being present for other shows earlier that week. At the time, the cohosts called the spread of the infection a “summer surge.”

We’ll have to wait and see whether Goldberg is able to return to work on Thursday’s show, or if she’ll be out for the rest of the week (since she’s usually not on the lineup on Fridays, barring very special circumstances).

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  1. O

    OrangeScissors

    Maybe getting her foot removed from her mouth?

    104 42

    1. C

      CyanBasketball

      Not funny at all.

      2

  2. G

    GreenPretzel

    Hopefully the View will be eliminated because of huge lawsuit. They have so much hate and can’t keep their big fat mouths shut!! Way to go maybe show will be canceled!!

    122 63

    1. O

      OrangeGuitar

      Sounds like you have so much hate! Why are you still watching it?

      15 7

      1. O

        OrangeStrawberry

        Agree. I hate the show so I just don't watch it!!

        4

    2. B

      BlueCone

      Huge lawsuit? Are you talking about the false rumors about Melania suing the View and Sunny or the false rumor abour Karoline Leavitt suing the show? Maybe you should go back and check your sources.

      15 9

    3. R

      RedBee

      It'd be nice if ABC would put The View and GMA3 both out of their miseries, and maybe work on developing a new daytime soap opera that could fill the voids that All My Children and One Life To Live left behind when ABC made the knucklehead decision to cancel those 2 shows. I could see it being a Lorraine Broderick created soap, and production being based here in Georgia vs being based in Los Angeles or New York City. AMC and OLTL, may they both rest in peace.

      If CBS can successfully replace The Talk with their new soap Beyond The Gates, a new ABC soap ought to be a no-brainer.

      28 8

    4. P

      PurpleCocktail

      You are so heatful that's why Americans is failing.

      2 1

    5. C

      CyanBasketball

      Good thing the entire staff of FoxNews & Fox&Friends do NOT hate black people with the same intensity that you describe in discussing TheView.

  3. R

    RedCoffee

    Hopefully she won't come back and they finally cancel the racist show

    122 68

    1. C

      CyanBasketball

      Yall make me laugh cuz not one of you has ANY idea as to what racist really is. Ask Robert TORSNEY.

      2 4

  4. G

    GoldCorn

    They o ly have one view ,it's all the same one . Get different people so you can have people all with different views

    60 16

  5. O

    OliveDice

    Split The View up between equal political parties. No one wants to hear others being bashed all the time.

    50 16

  6. C

    CyanPin

    Must be a slow news day.

    31 5

  7. G

    GreenButton

    Who watches those old hags?

    63 37

    1. O

      OrangeGuitar

      Sounds like you hate to hear the truth! Get a life!!

      You're probably still watching it!!

      12 9

    2. O

      OrangeWeights

      Democrats

      16 4

      1. B

        BlueSword

        Republipukes!

        1 2

    3. C

      CyanPin

      People full of HATE in their hearts. This show should be canceled. Someone tell Joy ,covid is the flu 🤧

      3 1

      1. C

        CyanBasketball

        So Joy is dumb all of a sudden & you're the smart one now. Good to know

        1

  8. G

    GreenSeahorse

    the view has tds

    28 4

  9. C

    CyanPin

    Get rid of her and take the rest with you

    61 37

    1. O

      OrangeGuitar

      Could you do a better job as a host? If not, shut up and go somewhere and sit down!!

      6 6

  10. R

    RedPlane

    Her ass is getting sued big time!

    21 7

  11. O

    OrangeLamp

    The trash show -the view- should be taken off the air

    13 4

    1. C

      CyanBasketball

      Jealousy is a helluva drug.

      2

  12. R

    RedWrench

    the show an the woman suck

    10 2

  13. C

    CyanCandy

    Who cares? She is an awful person.

    8 1

  14. G

    GreenButton

    Why make a big deal out of her being ill? She's human and things happen

    Hope she's well soon...💜

    28 21

    1. G

      GreenRocket

      BECAUSE!!! She preached so hard about getting vaccinated!! Now she's sick All the time!! Come on.. get a clue!

      9 1

  15. G

    GoldBattery

    Is she getting her head removed from her rear end?

    6 1

  16. P

    PurpleCocktail

    To bad she's coming back, need to cancel the show

    6 1

    1. C

      CyanBasketball

      Too bad there is a correlation between the unschooled & resistance to tolerance

      1

  17. B

    BlueLocomotive

    Of course she is absent! She has been mentally absent for years !!!

    4

  18. C

    Craig Burns

    No mask after coming back sick? Didn't she talk about being mask responsible for months straight? As always, never doing what they talk about, just complaining 24/7 with no end.

    4

  19. B

    BlueBox

    The View — Not The Facts

    4

  20. G

    GoldBattery

    No one cares.

    4

  21. O

    OrangeLamp

    Must be making a new predator movie

    6 3

  22. P

    PurpleGlasses

    Seems like Handy is a handy dandy troll

    5 2

  23. O

    OrangeCandy

    Hopefully this is It for her.

    3 1

  24. G

    GreenCupcake

    Retire already. We need fresh

    2

  25. O

    OrangeBus

    Hemorrhoids

    2

  26. B

    BlueGrapes

    It's absent because God answered our prayers, plus its making Predator 3.

    5 3

  27. G

    GoldPizza

    Good riddance !!! You're a disgrace!!

    5 3

  28. O

    OliveBoomerang

    Get rid of Sunny! She all about her self!

    1

  29. B

    BlueProcessor

    ABC’s getting sued! for her lies!she is not sick.

    1

  30. R

    RedHat

    Searching for industrial strength gorilla glue

    1

  31. C

    CyanBucket

    I can't believe it's still on the air.

    1

  32. G

    GreenRocket

    Wow.... How many times has she gotten Covid? Didn't she have "ALLLLLL" the vaccinations? LOL

    1

  33. R

    RedBee

    Who cares

    2 1

  34. G

    GoldSubmarine

    She belongs in jail.

    21 20

    1. O

      OrangeStrawberry

      For what?

      1 4

  35. B

    BlueBox

    I think the view in especially will be Goldberg and Sonny are a disgrace in. Shouldn't even be listed as Americans? The way they downed this country. All they want is trouble, chaos and mayhem. I think you're absolutely disgusting.In this whole view should be taken off I think you're absolutely disgusting. And this whole view should be taken off the air. And a sad part is I'm a Democrat. And they don't in any way represent me.

  36. B

    BluePaw

    I LOVE The View!

  37. G

    GreenLobster

    Simple be respectful!

  38. O

    OliveCactus

    Whoopi was on May 15th and she sounded horrible. She should have had someone take over for her.

  39. O

    OlivePlanet

    I think Whoopi is having immense guilt about not asking Biden about funding and supplying netanyahu for a genocide...

  40. M

    musksucks

    mansons had lsd,you trumpers got stupidity dumbass.🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

    1

  41. P

    PurpleCorn

    You naysayers evidently watch the view. Ya know.. no one forces you to watch.

    1

  42. O

    OrangeScissors

    Ho,ho,ho…….

    1

  43. R

    RedPlane

    I occasionally read the comments about the View and find that it has both "sides" and various ethnicities are represented! We may not like, care for, or agree with the co-hosts but they are speaking about most of the American issues, at least as much as possible. As one commenter said, if you don't like it turn the channel! However, it still remains the #1 DAYTIME TALK SHOW! Including the 1st quarter of 2025! I'm supper glad about that! I salute these women for speaking in the arena where women have been hushed and disregarded for decades! Keep up the good work and especially Whoopie Goldberg!

    The top-ranked daytime talk show for 2024 is The View. It consistently leads in both household ratings and total viewers among daytime network talk shows and news programs. Specifically, for the 1st quarter of 2025, "The View" held the top position in households (1.77 rtg.) and total viewers (2.596 million).

    2

  44. G

    GoldSubmarine

    Whoopi is a bug

    12 16

    1. O

      OrangeGuitar

      She's a RICH bug! Now, how about that? Stop hating!!

      2 3

      1. B

        BlueCone

        Trump is rich too - stop your hating!!

        4 2

  45. G

    GoldFlame

    Love the View they keep us informed about the situation of the world/ country …

    2 16

    1. R

      RedPalmtree

      OMG do you live in a cave without WIFIM

      1

  46. B

    BlueProcessor

    Whoopi's good. She speaks her mind and sticks up for what she believes in. That's supposed to be guaranteed in America. We all should be able to speak up publicly about our views and not be silenced

    66 82

    1. G

      GreenGoggles

      We also have the right not to listen to her crap. She's a horrible American

      8 2

      1. B

        BlueUmbrella

        Joe you must of lost your remote 😪 If you have a issue change the channel! Plus, I want to see👓your list of horrible Americans, and what makes them?

        Peace & Blessings🙏🏽

    2. O

      OliveClover

      I agree Chris, we should.be able to speak freely. In this new world order, if a conservative speaks up, friends and some members of their own family stops talking.to them.

      Sad, very sad.

      PS

      Don't like The View? Turn the channel. It's that simple. I don't like, i don't watch it.

      3 1

    3. R

      RedHat

      She's on dope and is tripping

      1

    4. C

      Craig Burns

      We shouldn't have to listen to anti-American ranting. It set's everyone back. She is strongly against healthy national growth and discussion.

      1

  47. R

    RedToast

    Whoopi has a very balanced view on life and the world we all live in. She is a big asset to the show and speaks an undistorted truth. Many people have never heard real truth. Many of Americans need a broader view on life.

    19 45

    1. G

      GreenRocket

      HA!!!

      No words.

      11

    2. R

      RedHat

      You been in the fridge too long

      2

    3. O

      OrangeCherries

      " Dr Jill Biden is an excellent Doctor with a great bedside manner. " no Whoopi.... Dr Jill has a PHD Doctorate- she is NOT a Medical Doctor as you excitedly stated during Bidens election campaign. Not the real truth.... makes shit up.

      ...

      2

    4. B

      BlueBandAid

      Whoopi Goldberg is ultra liberal and the only thing she can see is through those lens. She is popular with the left and that’s why she is still on the view.

      2