Whoopi Goldberg found herself in an unexpected situation when a member of the audience heckled her during a live broadcast of “The View,” causing a stir among her cohosts and attracting the attention of Entertainment Tonight. The ET host began their report with a surprised “Yikes.”
Describing the incident, The US Sun reported, “This episode of The View didn’t get off to a smooth start with Whoopi Goldberg clapping back at what seemed to be a heckler in the audience.”
The on-air drama unfolded right at the beginning of the show, with all the hosts taking their seats to a seemingly upbeat audience. However, a particularly enthusiastic audience member shouted at Whoopi Goldberg, prompting Entertainment Weekly to note the less-than-ideal start.
Goldberg responded, saying, “We’re happy to see ya’ll. Cool, well, go on and have a seat,” and addressing the very happy audience. She then turned her attention to a female audience member who had apparently said something. Notably, live broadcasts like “The View” typically discourage hosts from engaging with the audience in a negative manner.
Goldberg, visibly stunned, asked, “Did you just call me an old broad? Yeah?” The camera cut to a woman with a large fur hat, to whom the Sister Act star replied, “She said, ‘You old broad,’ and I was like, hey, it’s Wednesday, and I am an old broad, and happy about it!”
Attempting to diffuse the situation, the cohosts at the table burst into laughter. Sunny Hostin tried to intervene, suggesting that being an “old broad” is preferable to “the alternative,” seemingly alluding to the undesirable alternative of dying young. Goldberg chimed in, saying, “The alternative is not attractive to any of us. We all want to be old broads and old dudes, you know?”
The incident drew various reactions on social media, with some offering their take on Goldberg’s response amid the controversy surrounding the comedian’s remarks about the Holocaust. One commenter remarked, “She should feel lucky to be called an old broad. That would have been way down on the list of what she could be called. Racist would be close to the top. And she used to be so funny in the movies she was in… so sad.”
