ABC News suspends ‘View’ host Whoopi Goldberg
"Effective immediately, I am suspending Whoopi Goldberg for two weeks for her wrong and hurtful comments," ABC News president Kim Godwin said in a statement.
By Oliver Darcy | CNN
ABC News suspended “The View” host Whoopi Goldberg for two weeks on Tuesday night, one day after she drew significant criticism for falsely declaring that the Holocaust was “not about race.”
“Effective immediately, I am suspending Whoopi Goldberg for two weeks for her wrong and hurtful comments,” ABC News president Kim Godwin said in a statement.
“While Whoopi has apologized, I’ve asked her to take time to reflect and learn about the impact of her comments,” Godwin added. “The entire ABC News organization stands in solidarity with our Jewish colleagues, friends, family and communities.”
As Godwin said in her statement, Goldberg had in fact apologized for her remarks. On Monday night, Goldberg apologized in a note posted to Twitter. And on Tuesday, Goldberg opened up “The View” offering yet another apology.
But her comments bothered staffers across ABC News. While some accepted her apology, others believed disciplinary action was warranted, according to conversations with employees.
Goldberg is no stranger to controversy, having made a number of comments throughout her nearly 15 years on the program that have sparked backlash.
In 2009 she remarked that Roman Polanski was not guilty of “rape-rape,” a comment which she later clarified. Goldberg also initially defended Bill Cosby as he faced sexual assault accusations, a position she ultimately reversed.