Whoopi Goldberg Rails Against Racist ‘Rings of Power’ and ’House of the Dragon’ Fans: ‘What Is Wrong With Y’all?’

Zack Sharf

Whoopi Goldberg has a message for racist “Lord of the Rings” and “Game of Thrones” fans: “Get a job!” During the Sept. 6 episode of “The View,” Goldberg and her co-hosts confronted the racist backlash that has met the recently launched fantasy series “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” and “House of the Dragon.” Goldberg called out fans for accepting otherworldly creatures such as hobbits and dragons but not accepting Black actors.

“They don’t exist in the real world,” Goldberg said of the two series. “You know that? There are no dragons. There are no hobbits. Are you telling me Black people can’t be fake people too? Is that what you’re telling me? I don’t know if there’s like a hobbit club, I don’t know if there are gonna be protests, but people! What is wrong with y’all?”

More from Variety

Goldberg later added, “All of y’all who have problems because there are Black hobbits… Get a job! Get a job! Go find yourself, because you are focused on the wrong stuff.”

“The View” co-host Sunny Hostin shared a similar disbelief while discussing “House of the Dragon,” saying, “What I think is fascinating is like, dragons are okay — fire-breathing dragons — and people with white hair that are born like that when they’re little, and violet eyes, but the Black people in it is just a bridge too far for these folks.”

“House of the Dragon” star Steve Toussaint said before the series kicked off on HBO that he had to deal with racist backlash from fans after he was cast as Lord Corlys Velaryon. The actor said, “It seems to be very hard for people to swallow. They are happy with a dragon flying. They’re happy with white hair and violet-colored eyes, but a rich Black guy? That’s beyond the pale.”

On “The View,” Goldberg mocked racist fantasy fans by telling them they should start preparing now to deal with a Black woman playing Ariel in Disney’s live-action “The Little Mermaid.” Singer Halle Bailey is taking on the role in the Rob Marshall-directed film, which opens in May 2023.

“Y’all are gonna lose your minds when you see the new Ariel,” Goldberg said. “Because you know — and I don’t want to upset any mermaids who are watching the show, you know, because I know there are many communities of mermaids of various colors! And when I say ‘of various colors,’ I’m not playing. There are violet mermaids, there are pink mermaids, there are Black mermaids, there are Latina mermaids, there are mermaids of every ilk. And you know why there can be? Because it’s the world that we would like to see better.”

Episodes of “House of the Dragon” and “The Rings of Power” are now streaming on HBO Max and Amazon Prime Video, respectively.

Best of Variety

Sign up for Variety’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Click here to read the full article.

Advertisement