ABC's first Black President, Kim Godwin, suspends Whoopi Goldberg from ‘The View’ for Holocaust comments
By Dana Davis // Controversy // EEW Magazine Online
The heated saga at ABC keeps getting hotter.
EEW Magazine Online has learned that Whoopi Goldberg’s seat at “The View” will be empty for two weeks after she made controversial comments Monday about the Jewish people and the Holocaust during a discussion about a local school board banning the graphic novel Maus.
In a note sent to staff Tuesday night, Kim Godwin, who became the first Black executive and first Black woman to head ABC News in 2021, announced the decision.
“Effective immediately, I am suspending Whoopi Goldberg for two weeks for her wrong and hurtful comments,” Godwin said. “While Whoopi has apologized, I’ve asked her to take time to reflect and learn about the impact of her comments. The entire ABC News organization stands in solidarity with our Jewish colleagues, friends, family and communities.”
This punitive measure comes as cries grow louder for the firing of Goldberg. So far, there is no indication that Goldberg’s temporary suspension will evolve into permanent termination.
“These decisions are never easy, but necessary,” Godwin continued in her memo. “Just last week I noted that the culture at ABC News is one that is driven, kind, inclusive, respectful, and transparent. Whoopi’s comments do not align with those values.”
As previously reported by EEW, Goldberg, 66, gave an on-air apology earlier on Tuesday in a segment that also featured an interview with Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt.
“Yesterday on the show I misspoke,” Goldberg said, then admitted that the Holocaust “is indeed about race, because Hitler and the Nazis considered the Jews to be an inferior race. Now, words matter, and mine are no exception. I regret my comments, and I stand corrected. I also stand with the Jewish people.”
The controversy first broke out on Monday’s show, when Goldberg said during a tense segment about Maus, “Let’s be truthful about it because Holocaust isn’t about race. It’s not about race. It’s not about race. It’s about man’s inhumanity to man.”
Co-host Ana Navarro jumped in and tried to correct Goldberg’s misguided assertion, saying, “But it’s about white supremacists going after Jews.“
Goldberg shot back, “But these are two white groups of people! The minute you turn it into race, it goes down this alley. Let’s talk about it for what it is. It’s how people treat each other. It doesn’t matter if you’re Black or white, Jews—it’s each other.”
Despite immediate backlash on social media, Goldberg doubled down on her comments when she sat down for a chat on CBS’ Late Show with Stephen Colbert Monday evening. She did, however, apologize on her social media feeds, saying, “I’m sorry for the hurt that I have caused.”
By then, the damage was already done.
Despite the suspension, Godwin spoke well of Goldberg in the memo, saying, “Whoopi has shown through her actions over many years that she understands the horrors of the Holocaust and she started today’s show with that recognition.”
Godwin added, “But words matter, and we must be cognizant of the impact our words have.”
