‘The View’ Audience Groans Over Whitney Cummings’ Epstein Joke

The View guest cohost Whitney Cummings had Sara Haines in stitches over her reaction to Donald Trump‘s primetime address on Thursday’s (April 2) episode, but then she left the audience groaning when it came to the second “Hot Topic” of the day.

First, the panelists weighed in on Trump’s speech, and none of them were impressed.

In response to Trump’s update on the Iran war, Cummings remarked, “It’s just kind of wild to me that this man, Donald Trump, who has not made a lot of speeches, and the one time he does decide to make a speech about this terrifying war is April Fool’s Day.”

She went on to add, “Personally, I want out of this simulation. Also, remember when he wouldn’t come to work? Remember, first term, he was playing golf every day? How do we get him back on the golf course?”

Cummings wasn’t done with that quip either. “He even admitted that he’s not clear who he’s negotiating with,” she continued. “He could be getting catfished by, truly, anyone with an accent, and we don’t know it.”

Her three-pronged punch was so effective that Haines said with a laugh, “How am I supposed to follow her? Thanks for the tee-up!”

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As well as her jokes were received in the first discussion, though, things went south in the next segment. After reviewing footage of former The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star Jen Shah — who was sentenced to prison time for a telemarketing fraud scheme — revealing how Jeffrey Epstein’s partner Ghislane Maxwell was getting special treatment in prison, the cohosts weighed in on the matter.

After the cohosts criticized the government for moving the convicted child sex trafficker to “Club Fed” after she met with a member of the administration and letting her have a puppy, Haines said, “She needs to stay in prison because no one trusts what she says anyway, and she’s willing to say or do anything to try to save her own butt.”

That’s when Cummings chimed in to say, “She’s trying not to hang herself.” (She was referring, of course, to the highly-questioned death by suicide of Epstein while in federal prison during Trump’s first term.)

After audible groans from the live audience, Cummings acknowledged the reaction by looking at the crowd and saying, “Stay with me.”

She then continued to react to Shah’s statement by saying, “I feel like Ghislane doesn’t sound like a big Real Housewives fan, in her defense. She doesn’t have experience talking to women over 21. She wouldn’t know what to do with herself. Let’s get her out cleaning up some trash on the freeway.” That response, unlike the first, earned some claps from the crowd.

As usual, Whoopi Goldberg seized on the chance to take the last word on the matter and got the biggest cheering reaction of all when she then said, “I have a better idea. Let’s stop talking about her…. And remember, there are women out there who have not had any justice.”

The View, weekdays, 11a/10c, ABC

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