Following Whoopi Goldberg's recent race comment controversy, ABC News has decided to put "The View" host to be suspended from the show.
The official Twitter account of ABC News released a statement attributed to ABC News president Kim Godwin regarding the 66-year-old star. It read, "Effective immediately, I am suspending Whoopi Goldberg for two weeks for her wrong and hurtful comments."
"While Whoopi has apologized, I've asked her to take time to reflect and learn about the impact of her comments. The entire ABC News organization stands in solidarity with our Jewish colleagues, friends, family, and communities," it concluded.
Variety confirmed that Goldberg's comments on "The View" reached Disney's highest level of decision-makers. And as per sources from the outlet, the chairman of Disney General Entertainment Content, Peter Rice, was consulted on the public fallout for the "Sister Act" lead star.
The decision came after the TV personality first made controversial comments on ABC's "The View" on their Monday episode. According to the BBC, the celeb discussed a Tennessee school board's banning of a graphic novel about the Holocaust because it showed nudity, profanity, and suicide.
She stated on the show that the Nazi genocide of the Jews was "not about race." Goldberg apologized on her official Twitter account later on.
— Whoopi Goldberg (@WhoopiGoldberg) February 1, 2022
Up For Her Third Apology
This was also followed by another apology when she visited "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert." However, she said the Nazis lied and actually had "issues with ethnicity," not race which caused further offense while explaining her remarks on a late-night show.
Goldberg never stopped there and issued her third apology to open the talk show, Tuesday, "Yesterday on the show, I misspoke," she began.
"[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."
According to reports, this was not the first time Goldberg had involved herself in controversy. In 2009, she said that film director Roman Polanski, who pleaded guilty to "unlawful sex with a minor," was not guilty of "rape-rape."
She said, "I know it wasn't rape-rape. It was something else, but I don't believe it was rape-rape."
Goldberg even defended Bill Cosby when he faced sexual assault allegations.