Whoopi Goldberg Apologizes Live on ‘The View’ For Holocaust Statements: “I Misspoke”

Whoopi Goldberg has already apologized for her statements about the Holocaust made on yesterday’s (Jan. 31) The View, but on today’s taping, the moderator doubled down on asking her audience for forgiveness. Instead of kicking things off with hot topics, Goldberg embraced the discussion head-on, apologizing before opening up the conversation further with her co-hosts.

“Yesterday on our show, I misspoke,” Goldberg began. “I tweeted about it last night, but I kind of want you to hear it from me directly. I said something that I feel a responsibility for not leaving unexamined, because my words upset so many people, which was never my intention. I understand why, now, and for that, I am deeply, deeply grateful, because the information I got was really helpful and helped me understand some different things.”

During yesterday’s show, Goldberg got into a bit of a tiff with her co-hosts, arguing that the Holocaust “isn’t about race,” and rather more about “man’s inhumanity to man.” Even though co-hosts Joy Behar and Ana Navarro attempted to correct her, suggesting the Holocaust was still about “white supremacy” and that the Nazis “considered Jews a different race,” Goldberg continued to defend her point.

“This is about two groups of white people,” Goldberg said. “You’re missing the point. The minute you turn it into race, it goes down this alley. Let’s talk about it for how it is: it’s how people treat each other. It’s a problem. It doesn’t matter if you’re Black or white! Because Black, white, Jews, Italians — everybody eats each other.”

After a flurry of social media backlash, Goldberg addressed her statements in a tweet last night. And this morning, she finally corrected herself after her apology on The View.

“It is, indeed, about race, because Hitler and the Nazis considered Jews to be an inferior race,” Goldberg concluded. “Words matter, and mine are no exception. I regret my comments, as I said, and I stand corrected. I also stand with the Jewish people — as they know and y’all know, because I’ve always done that.”

In order to keep the conversation going, Goldberg invited Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League and author of It Could Happen Here, to have an enlightening discussion about anti-semitism in America. While visiting the show virtually, Greenblatt schooled Goldberg about the connection between race and the Holocaust.

“Well, Whoopi, there’s no question that the Holocaust was about race. That’s how the Nazis saw it, as they perpetrated the systematic annihilation of the Jewish people across continents, across people, with deliberate and ruthless cruelty,” Greenblatt explained. “And literally, the first page of Maus, the book you were talking about yesterday, Whoopi, it opens with a quote from Hitler. It literally says, ‘The Jews undoubtedly are a race, but they are not human.'”

Greenblatt continued: “You see, Hitler’s ideology, the Third Reich, was predicated on the idea that the aryans, the Germans, were a ‘master race,’ and the Jews were a subhuman race. It was a racialized anti-semitism.”

After breaking down Goldberg’s statement, Greenblatt was sure to explain why Goldberg’s platform was key in stopping the spread of anti-semitism in America. To further his point, Greenblatt explained that many of the same rules from the Jim Crow South were also implemented against Jewish people in the Holocaust.

“Throughout the Jewish people’s history, they have been marginalized, they have been persecuted, they have been slaughtered — in large part, because many people thought they were not just a different religion, but indeed a different race,” he said. “Your platform, Whoopi, is so important. Using it now to educate people to realize that anti-semitism remains a clear and present danger. It’s a real issue and we’ve got to confront it.”

Amidst talking with the other co-hosts later in the segment, Greenblatt challenged The View to hire a Jewish woman as their fifth panelist as they seek to replace Meghan McCain.

“Shows like yours are so important. I know you guys believe in representation, and I know you guys work to bring all points of view,” Greenblat said. “And, hey, I know you’re considering a new permanent host for the show! Think about having a Jewish host on this show, who can bring these issues of anti-semitism, who can bring these issues of representation to The View every single day.”

The View airs weekdays on ABC at 11/10c.

Where to watch The View