Whoopi Goldberg stirred up some serious drama online after making a comment that didn’t sit well with a lot of viewers. During the Tuesday, July 8 episode of The View, she casually joked that the show can sometimes feel like “hell” — and that one line has since sparked a wave of backlash and calls for her to step down.
It all started when the hosts walked out onto the set and were met with an enthusiastic round of applause from the live audience. Everyone seemed genuinely surprised by how loud and long the cheers went on. Whoopi took a moment to acknowledge it and said, “You know what? Let us say this to you. Thank you for that, because sometimes this gig can feel like hell.”
She didn’t stop there. “And sometimes you feel like people are just angry at you all the time,” she added. “And so, to get a welcome like this this morning, we really appreciate it.” The audience responded with even more applause.
But while the crowd in the studio may have been cheering, the reaction online was anything but warm. Social media lit up with criticism. One user on X wrote, “These women are so goddamn cringe.” Another said, “Outside of your studio audience of lemmings, People hate The View for very good reasons.”
The flood of negative reactions didn’t stop there. Someone commenting under a Mediaite article took a swipe at what goes on behind the scenes, writing, “I bet the real hell on The View is backstage, where the crew has to deal with these dismal women when the cameras are off them.” Others compared it to the toxic environment reportedly found on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, with one person saying, “Wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if it’s another Ellen situation.”
Some comments got even more personal. One user joked, “LOL why don’t you just retire and leave us alone?! You’re like 70 something years old, so go do whatever 70 year olds like to do today LOL.” Another person said, “HELL is having to watch this show with my aged mother when I visit her at Shady Pines,” while someone else bluntly wrote, “Trying to watch The View feels like hell.”
Despite the criticism, Whoopi doesn’t seem like she’s in any rush to walk away from the table. Back in 2024, she talked to OK! Magazine during the Garden of Laughs comedy event at The Theater at Madison Square Garden. When asked about retirement, the then-69-year-old made it clear she still had a lot going on and wasn’t slowing down just yet. “I’m on the board and I’m doing the opening remarks. So, I’m going home after that because I work at the crack of dawn,” she said at the time.
So while the internet might be calling for her to hang it up, Whoopi seems pretty comfortable right where she is—even if it feels like hell sometimes.