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Calls for Whoopi Goldberg to stop using adopted surname split internet!

Born to Robert James Johnson and Emma Johnson in 1955, Goldberg’s real name is Caryn Elaine Johnson

A lot of people on the internet have called out Whoopi Goldberg and also asked her to drop her surname after she claimed that the Holocaust was not “about race”. During a discussion on an episode of ‘The View’, the 66-year-old said, “Let’s be truthful, the Holocaust isn’t about race, it’s not.” But when her co-host Joy Behar interfered saying that for the Nazis, Jews were a different race, she doubled down stating, “But it’s not about race. It’s about man’s inhumanity to man, that’s what it’s about.”

Another host of the show, Ana Navarro then said, “But it’s about white supremacy. It’s about going after Jews and Gypsies and Roman.” To which, Goldberg replied, “These are two groups of white people.” And when fellow host Sara Haines said that the Nazis “didn’t see them as white”, the comedian added, “But you’re missing the point! The minute you turn it into 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, Jews… everybody eats each other.”

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Soon after Goldberg made these remarks, several people started slamming her. Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, tweeted, “No @WhoopiGoldberg , the #Holocaust was about the Nazi’s systematic annihilation of the Jewish people – who they deemed to be an inferior race. They dehumanized them and used this racist propaganda to justify slaughtering 6 million Jews. Holocaust distortion is dangerous. #ENOUGH.”

Stop Antisemitism added, “Newsflash @WhoopiGoldberg 6 million of us were gassed, starved and massacred because we were deemed an inferior race by the Nazis. How dare you minimize our trauma and suffering!”

Not just that, many demanded Goldberg give up her surname, including John Podhoretz who wrote for The Post, “Drop the Goldberg name you co-opted, Whoopi — you don’t deserve it.” A petition has also been started for the same that read, “Whoopi Goldberg has used the Jewish last name based off the anti-Semitic trope that the Jews run Hollywood and believed that the name would help her career. Whoopi didn’t adopt the name due to admiration of the Jewish people, she adopted the name based on a dangerous stereotype and therefore is a form of cultural appropriation.”

The message added, “Our identity shouldn’t be decided by anyone other than ourselves, these harmful actions are what got us murdered in the first place. If Whoopi can’t respect the Jewish people she shouldn’t be allowed to carry our name. Let’s get her attention and hope she recognizes her actions.”

Reportedly, Goldberg’s real name is Caryn Elaine Johnson, who was born to Robert James Johnson and Emma Johnson in 1955. A 2020 PEOPLE report said that “her stage name ‘Whoopi’ comes from whooppee cushion.” The report noted, “Goldberg is her mother's maiden name, which she opted to use in the hope of being taken more seriously, stating in 2011 that: ‘My mother did not name me Whoopi, but Goldberg is my name, it's part of my family, part of my heritage. Just like being black.’”

However, these calls have left the internet in splits with many supporting it while some opposing it. A critic of her tweeted, “She can call herself whatever she wants, but Goldberg is definitely not on, not after this. So yes, she should hand back her surname.” Another one wrote, “She bought the surname.” Andrew Neil, Chairman Spectator Magazine Group, UK, US, Australia, commented, “Watch these pictures and weep @WhoopiGoldberg The Holocaust was not racism? Did the Nazis just call themselves the master race for fun? Not all racism is white on black. You should hand your surname back.”

But a supporter of Goldberg said, “She has apologised and admitted she was wrong.” The second one added, “She's apologised.”