COVID-Stricken Whoopi Goldberg ‘Returns’ to The View, as Joy Behar Declares, ‘She’s Not Dead’
Whoopi Goldberg may be sidelined from The View due to her recent COVID diagnosis, but it didn’t stop the daytime cohost from popping in to say hello. In a recorded video message played at the top of the hour Wednesday, Goldberg appeared donned in a mask to say hi and give viewers an update on her health.
“I am not at Burning Man. I am not still in Italy. I’m not trying to change the outcome of the election. I just have COVID,” Goldberg said in the video embedded above. “I’m still testing positive. I have to have a clear test before I can come back, so it might be a couple of days, but I’m really thrilled to see the beautiful new desk. I’m really thrilled to see all the beautiful women… I’m sending you all great love and can’t wait to get back to our favorite place, The View.”
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Before Goldberg’s message aired, Joy Behar took X (fka Twitter) trolls to task stating, “People write, ‘Well, she got the vaccination, how come she still gets it?’ Because she’s not dead, she just a little bit under the weather! If you don’t get [the vaccination] and you get the disease, you might die… this type of irrational talk drives me nuts.”
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Goldberg’s illness was formally announced Tuesday, when the show returned for its new season with an empty seat.
“As you can see, Whoopi is not here. She has COVID,” Behar shared. “Yes, it’s back. It’s back! But she’s on the mend. She’s on the tail end, and she’ll probably be back this week. But sorry she’s not here, for those of you who were looking forward to seeing her.”
This is the second time a COVID diagnosis has caused Goldberg to sit out The View‘s broadcasts, having previously missed episodes due to the virus in November 2022. Then, in February of this year, she was absent for several days due to what Behar called “a bad cold.”
The View‘s other five co-hosts — Behar, Sunny Hostin, Sara Haines, Alyssa Farah Griffin and Ana Navarro — were all present for Tuesday’s return. In a somewhat surprising move, The View did not alter its hosting lineup at all between Seasons 26 and 27, a rare turn of events for a series with typically high turnover.
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