Whoopi Goldberg Met With Backlash After Asking Co-Host If She's Pregnant on Live TV
Whoopi Goldberg is in the hot seat after blatantly asking one of her cohosts a personal question on live TV.
During a broadcast of The View on Thursday, Sept. 14, the Sister Act star stopped mid-sentence during a discussion to direct an inquiry toward Alyssa Farah Griffin about a possible pregnancy.
"Are you pregnant?" she abruptly asked the former political strategist, as Griffin shockingly responded, "No—oh my, God," covering her mouth.
“You can’t say that when my mother-in-law is here, who’s been dying for me to get pregnant!” she continued, further wondering, “Why? Do I look pregnant?”
The rest of the hosts of the talk show seemed to have similar reactions, with Joy Behar asking the actress, “Why would you say that?”
"I just got a vibe," Whoopi alleged, continuing, "I’m so sorry."
Unprovoked and mid-rant?!? WHOOPI-?!! ?????? pic.twitter.com/MwNVHw1zxa
— ???????????? ?????????? ?????????????? ???????? ? (@alyssafurah) September 14, 2023
Cohost Sunny Hostin, who was sitting at the table with her mouth agape, joked that the ladies should “take bets at the table” about whether or not Griffin was actually pregnant, since it seems it's something that could potentially come to pass—or at least, in the future, anyway.
Apparently, pregnancy isn't something Griffin is against, as she admitted she and her husband Justin Griffin are currently considering having kids. “I’m very open to being pregnant soon... I am not blessed to be pregnant yet. My husband and I are thinking about it,” Griffin noted, adding, “I’ll take a test when I get home just to be sure, though.”
The three-time Golden Globe winner later apologized a second time for her random assumption, after cohost Sara Haines joked that Griffin's "firstborn will be named Whoopi," by comically responding, "Don’t do that to the baby. Please forgive me, I was rude.”
MITT ROMNEY WILL NOT SEEK SECOND TERM: After the senator announced he will not seek a second Senate term, #TheView co-hosts weigh in on him saying it's "time for a new generation of leaders." https://t.co/cVclFZQmjA pic.twitter.com/CRPGvxJykg
— The View (@TheView) September 14, 2023
Meanwhile, on X (formerly Twitter), viewers chimed in on the awkward situation.
"Oh noooo [sic] girl," one said, condemning the violation of privacy, while another, on the other hand, insisted it was simply an "inappropriate auntie moment. It was not malicious. Hope this doesn't become a thing." In slang terms, "auntie" is an endearing term that refers to anyone who is older in comparison to someone else (Goldberg, 67, versus Griffin, 34).
"Whoopi had a vision," another joked, while some questioned why she didn't wait until the commercial break, as a third weighed in, "This is not something you ask on live television in front of an audience. Omg."
The EGOT winner often becomes the center of controversy for speaking her mind unabashedly, which, in the past, has proven to sometimes rub folks the wrong way.
Luckily, in this instance, the comment didn't seem to be taken as a negative thing, though we can all agree, there is a time and place for everything, so maybe this wasn't the proper setting for this specific question!
Next: Whoopi Goldberg Slips Up and Disses 'American Idol' on 'The View'