Whoopi Goldberg is noticeably missing from this week’s The View, set against a storm of fallout from her eyebrow‑raising remark comparing life for Black Americans to existence under Iran’s regime. The Oscar‑winner’s absence didn’t go unmentioned: “We are all jealous of Whoopi today because she’s in Italy … I hope it’s 100 degrees,” quipped Joy Behar at the top of Monday’s live show, cheerfully filling in for her absent colleague. All of this comes as The View heads into its usual Fourth‑of‑July break, with Whoopi expected back around July 7, reported InStyle.
The real buzz, though, centres on what led to this brief hiatus. Whoopi’s controversial comparison went down in flames when she countered co‑host Alyssa Farah Griffin’s fierce critique of Iran’s humanitarian abuses—pointing to executions of gay people and women jailed for violating dress codes—with: “Let’s not do that … we used to just keep hanging black people.” When Griffin stressed that life in modernday America wasn’t comparable to living under Iran’s theocratic system, Whoopi fired back: “It is the same … Not if you’re Black”.
That line has unleashed a flurry of condemnation. Iranian dissidents and experts were quick to denounce the remarks as inaccurate and deeply offensive. Dr Sheila Nazarian, who fled Iran as a child when her father was marked by the regime, told Fox News Digital that the comparison “dismisses the brutal realities faced by millions of Iranians,” pointing to imprisonment, torture and even execution for peaceful protests or comments online.
Another Iranian‑American journalist, Lisa Daftari, added that Goldberg’s freedom to appear publicly without fear underscores the stark contrast between U.S. dialogue and life under Iran’s authoritarian control.
Viewers and commenters leapt in too, many calling out the tone‑deaf nature of the remark and demanding Whoopi be sacked. One X user fumed that The View should be “taken off the air” while another bluntly declared: “Whoopi Goldberg needs to be FIRED!”.
Back on the show, co‑hosts Sunny Hostin, Sara Haines, Ana Navarro and Alyssa Farah Griffin kept the on‑air momentum going in Whoopi’s absence, with Ana stepping into centre stage alongside Joy in the roundtable discussions.
Instead of tuning in to political quarrels, Whoopi jetted off to Sicily, picking up an award at the Taormina International Book Festival for her memoir Bits and Pieces. She posted a heartfelt Instagram thanks: “Books are so important to all the world,” she wrote, noting what a “beautiful experience” the festival had offered her.
Her slot as moderator remains empty for now, but Joy regularly fills the role on Fridays anyway, and the show will be on its summer break soon, so it’s not entirely unusual timing. Still, the absence comes at a moment of amplified scrutiny, meaning that her return on July 7 will be watched all the more closely, according to Entertainment Weekly.
This isn’t Whoopi’s first controversial tumble—she was previously suspended in 2022 for saying the Holocaust “wasn’t about race,” an episode that sparked significant backlash and an apology before she rejoined the panel. Her return after the Iran‑comments storm feels like yet another testing moment for The View’s format of tough, boundary‑pushing conversations.
So there you have it: while Whoopi soaks up the Sicilian sunshine and collects accolades for her book, back in the studio the fallout is proving far hotter than any Italian temperature. Expect fireworks when she eventually comes back—because nothing sparks a tabloid frenzy quite like a public figure stepping into the whirlwind of race, international human rights and live TV.