Whoopi Goldberg's biggest controversies: From defending Bill Cosby to clash with Trump
Whoopi Goldberg stirred outrage across the world by declaring that the Holocaust was "not about race" since it featured "two groups of White people". But this is far from the first time the 66-year-old co-host of 'The View' has sparked outrage.
Having started her career as a stand-up comedian and in avant-garde theatre troupes, Goldberg has a history of finding herself in multiple controversies. Let's have a look at some of her most controversial moments.
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#1 'Holocaust is not about race'
During a panel discussion on 'The View', she delivered one of the most controversial statements of her career. She remarked,"Let's be truthful about it. The Holocaust isn't about race. It's not about race. It's about man's inhumanity to man. That's what it's about."
Later during an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert -- after her comments sparked a fierce international backlash -- Goldberg claimed she understood why she had hurt people. But she didn't stop there; she went on to explain why she believed the Nazis' massacre of six million Jews was not due to race because "Jews are White".
She said, “When you talk about being a racist, you can't call this racism. This was evil. This wasn't based on skin. You couldn't tell who was Jewish. You had to delve deeper and figure it out. My point is: they had to do the work. If the Klan is coming down the street and I'm standing with a Jewish friend, I'm going to run, but if my friend decides not to run, they'll get passed by most times because you can't tell who is Jewish. You don't know.”
#2 Whoopi jumps to Bill Cosby's rescue
The charges began to pour in in November 2014, but Goldberg stood firm in his defense until July 2015. In early July 2015, she asserted, "He has not been proven a rapist. It's my opinion, and the American courts agree with me because still he has not been taken to jail or tried on anything. So back off me!" She ultimately changed her mind after a few weeks. "I gotta say, all of the information that's out there kinda points to 'guilt'," she stated.
#3 Comparing then-President George W Bush to pubic hair
Perhaps the most disastrous moment occurred in 2004 when she was asked to speak at the Democratic National Convention and made a nasty remark about then-Republican President George W Bush. "I love Bush, but somebody's giving Bush a bad name," Goldberg said to the audience. "We should keep Bush where he belongs and not in the White House," she remarked, pointing at her genitals. Goldberg was widely chastised for her comments, and she lost a lucrative deal with Slim Fast as a result. She stated she was caught aback by the fury at the time.
#4 Infamous war of words Donald Trump
Trump was arguing that Obama could not be president because he was not born in the United States at the time. Goldberg enquired, "No one has ever said this to George Bush - I'm sorry is Hawaii not part of the United States?" Trump told Goldberg that Obama was "hiding something" that wasn't related to race. She responded, “I think that’s the biggest pile of dog mess I’ve heard in ages. I've never heard any White president ask to be shown his birth certificate. That's BS.”