Whoopi Goldberg is back and longtime fans of The View moderator couldn’t be happier about her return to the daytime talk show.
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After a controversial suspension for comments made about her comments on the Holocaust, she says she’s happy to be at the head of the table. As it turns out, Goldberg’s presence was missed– so much so that fewer people tuned in to watch the show in her absence.
A recap of Whoopi Goldberg’s controversial comments
During the Jan. 31 broadcast, Goldberg and co discussed a Tennessee school district banning Art Spiegelman’s novel Maus from being taught in its curriculum. The discussion turned to the Holocaust, with Goldberg saying, “If you’re going to do this, then let’s be truthful about it. Because the Holocaust isn’t about race. No, it’s not about race.”
She later apologized for her comments, stating she “misspoke” and that the Holocaust “is indeed about race, because Hitler and the Nazis considered the Jews to be an inferior race. Now, words matter — and mine are no exception. I regret my comments, and I stand corrected. I also stand with the Jewish people.” Her apology was not enough. As a result, she was suspended for two weeks, and reportedly missed out on $192k in pay.
It sparked outrage amongst many viewers who felt Goldberg was not treated fairly, hinting at her being a Black woman for the perceived harsher punishment, with many noting previous hosts of the show who are conservative making similar comments about politics and race.
Goldberg returned and noted that she was “proud” to be part of such a platform as The View, adding that she looks forward to having similar discussions in the future.
The show hit a record low in rating and ad sales amid the E.G.O.T. winner’s absence
It looks like viewers and advertisers weren’t happy about the famed moderator being on an unpaid suspension. According to Soap Opera Network, the ratings went down significantly.
Per the report, compared to the full week of January 31-February 4, 2022, viewership was down -283,000 viewers week to week (2.195 million vs 2.478 million). In comparison to the same week last year, viewership went down a whopping -723,000 viewers (2.195 million vs 2.918 million).
