The View fans rally to ‘FIRE’ Whoopi Goldberg with 40K-signature petition after host’s ‘tone deaf’ and ‘racist’ comments
WHOOPI Goldberg has angered The View fans after a past on-air blunder leading thousands to vie for her to be fired from the show.
The 66-year-old has made controversial comments in the past, but she may have gone too far this time.
Whoopi got into hot water with fans in January after she claimed the Holocaust, which involved the murder of six million Jews and other victims, was not “about race.”
She was briefly suspended from the talk show, though viewers haven’t forgiven the actress for her remark.
A petition has circulated on Change.org, insisting that Whoopi be let go of her hosting duties for her “repulsive verbiage and actions.”
Several concerned viewers, including the Democratic National Committee, started the petition, which states: “Whoopi has made numerous remarks about race that have ruffled feathers. But her most recent comment attacking victims of the holocaust and the entire Jewish community are disgusting.
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“Apologies are not enough when it comes to things like this, This can and will not be forgotten.
“We as Americans demand that she be fired from the daytime tv show ‘The View’ for her repulsive verbiage and actions.”
The petition, created immediately following the January 31 episode, has enlisted nearly 40k signatures.
It all started when The View’s panel discussed the scandal after a Tennessee school board voted to remove the Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novel Maus from an eighth-grade language arts curriculum.
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The book depicts Jews being tortured and murdered by the Nazis during World War Two.
The board had claimed the book was unsuitable because of foul language and the depiction of female nudity.
It was removed from this school’s curriculum after months of increased pressure from parents in some districts over books that focus on issues of race, gender identity, and sexuality.
WHAT DID YOU SAY?
“I’m surprised that’s what made you uncomfortable, the fact that there was some nudity. I mean, it’s about the Holocaust, the killing of 6 million people, but that didn’t bother you?” Whoopi asked.
“Well, this is white people doing it to white people. Y’all go fight amongst yourselves.”
The co-hosts agreed with the New York native that a “confusion” was leaving kids unprepared for “the real world.”
“Look at what kids watch these days and the music they listen to,” said Sara Haines.
“To say that showing them a work of art or history that happened is bad language or nudity?
“Turn off reality TV, turn off the radio, turn off everything they’re doing because kids are exposed to this stuff really early in inappropriate situations, not one where you’re learning or teaching.”
While these first comments did not initially draw the anger of her co-hosts, Whoopi later returned to her theory that the Holocaust, which was sparked by the belief in a “master race” and a desire for “racial purity,” was not about race.
“If you’re going to do this, then let’s be truthful about it,” Goldberg said.
“Because the Holocaust isn’t about race. No, it’s not about race.”
PANEL HITS BACK
Co-host Joy Behar hit back: “Then what was it about?”
“It’s about man’s inhumanity to man,” Whoopi responded, again claiming Adolf Hitler’s “Final Solution” was not about race.
“That’s what it’s about.”
Another co-host, Ana Navarro, interjected, arguing that the Holocaust was centered on white supremacy.
“Well, it’s about white supremacy. That’s what it’s about. It’s about going after Jews and gypsies,” she told Whoopi.
“But these are two groups of white people,” Whoopi responded.
“You’re missing the point,” she continued.
“The minute you turn it into the race, it goes down this alley.
“Let’s talk about it for what it is. It’s how people treat each other. It’s a problem.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re black or white because black, white, Jews … everybody eats each other.”
“So if you’re uncomfortable hearing about Maus, should you be worried, should your child say, ‘Oh my God, I wonder if that’s me?'” Whoopi then asked.
“No! That’s not what they’re going to say.
“They’re going to say, ‘I don’t want to be like that.’ Most kids, they don’t want to be cruel.”
Navarro continued to argue, however, noting that it is “necessary for kids to learn about the Holocaust.”
She highlighted how some people are comparing how yellow stars were used to identify Jews during the Holocaust to the need to show vaccination status against Covid.
“We’re living in an era where people want to compare vaccine cards to the yellow stars for comparing vaccinations to what Anne Frank went through,” Ana said.
Whoopi hit back “to learn about man’s inhumanity to man” before sending the show to a commercial break.
WHOOPI’S APOLOGY
The daytime talk show host has apologized, saying she “stands corrected.”
She tweeted: “The Holocaust was about the Nazi’s systematic annihilation of the Jewish people — who they deemed to be an inferior race. I stand corrected.
“The Jewish people around the world have always had my support and that will never waiver. I’m sorry for the hurt I have caused.”
But Whoopi appeared to backtrack on her apology during an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
“I feel, being black, when we talk about race it’s a very different thing to me,” she explained.
“So I said I thought the Holocaust wasn’t about race.
“And it made people very angry. I’m getting a lot of mail from folks and a lot of anger.
“But I thought it was a salient discussion because as a black person I think of race as being something that I can see.”
She continued: “When you talk about being a racist, you can’t call this racism.
“This was evil. This wasn’t based on skin. You couldn’t tell who was Jewish.
“You had to delve deeply and figure it out. My point is: they had to do the work.
“If the Klan is coming down the street and I’m standing with a Jewish friend: I’m going to run.
“But if my friend decides not to run, they’ll get passed by most times.
“Because you can’t tell who is Jewish. You don’t know.”
BACKLASH
The Ghost actress was blasted online for her comments.
The Sun’s Piers Morgan tweeted: “WTF? This is insane. The extermination of 6 million Jews wasn’t about race???
“Will any rock stars or renegade royals now boycott Whoopi Goldberg and/or ABC for this dangerous misinformation?”
Michael Rappaport posted a video of himself slamming Goldberg.
“Whoopi Goldberg, love you big fan – you went on your show and said the Holocaust wasn’t about race,” he said.
“Yes it f*****g was! It was all and only about race! It was about ‘kill the Jews. They’re not white, they’re Jewish.”
“The absolute ignorance of the non-Jewish world, encouraged by the mainstream media when it comes to understanding the Holocaust,” one Twitter user said.
“Open a godd**n book.”
Since Whoopi’s return to the show, fans have stood by their decision to have her removed from the panel.
One viewer recently commented: “Someone needs to start pushing back on Whoopi. I have a feeling someone will not let her interject one day which will cause Whoopi to go full-on nuts honestly.
“She has gotten exponentially worse this season so I hope next time contract negotiations are up it’s time to go, or work less days.”
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Another tweeted: “Whoopi is so incredibly tone deaf, every single time.”
A third wrote: “We’ve had enough of Whoopi, get her out of here or your viewers will boycott this now awful show!”
