NEWSWhoopi Goldberg Absent From 'The View' After COVID-19 Exposure, Host Is Feeling 'Fine' & 'Healthy'
Dec. 16 2021, Published 9:08 a.m. ET
Whoopi Goldberg is taking a short break from her hosting duties after being exposed to COVID-19.
It was revealed on Wednesday, December 15, that the 66-year-old would be absent for the next two episodes of The View after being in "close contact" with someone who tested positive for COVID-19.
Co-host Joy Behar announced the news after Goldberg was noticeably missing from Wednesday's episode, per Daily Mail.
"Whoopi wanted me to tell everyone because she feels fine and healthy, but because she was in close contact with someone who tested positive, she won't be here today and tomorrow," Behar explained.
The comedian went on to note the COVID-19 restrictions are extremely strict on the ABC show set, reportedly adding: "If you're near someone who has been exposed and is positive, you can't come here. That's the way we operate here."
"She also wanted me to share that she tested negative earlier today and she had her booster," Behar continued, per the outlet. "You will see her on Friday because we taped a show earlier this week."
Goldberg — a longtime co-host on the daytime show — has previously been outspoken about the importance of individuals receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. In March, she announced on the show that she had received her first dose while urging others to do the same.
"The most important step that everybody can do to end all that's happening is you got to get vaccinated," she previously stated on the show. "And I am happy to tell you that last night, I finally got my first shot at New York's 24-hour vaccination site at the Javits Center."
"Let me tell you, I was sweating. When you look at it on the news, the needle looks this big. It turns out the needle is this big and I didn't feel it," she continued. "That was important. And I said to them, 'How do we tell people that it's not this gigantic thing?' We have to get folks in here to make that decision and also, to do it for other folks."
"This is no joke," she added at the time. "People are still dying."
The Sister Act actress' exposure isn't the first time the show has dealt with a COVID-19 scare, as earlier this year, co-hosts Sunny Hostin and Ana Navarro were abruptly asked to leave in the middle of an episode after testing positive for the virus.
It was revealed after a commercial break that the two women had tested positive for COVID-19, although the test results were later determined to be false positives.
"I am thrilled to report that Sunny and Ana's Friday results turned out to be false positives, and everyone is safe, healthy and COVID-free," Behar clarified back in September. "No one's got it. It was a mistake of some sort."
The executive producer on the show ended up apologizing to the two women for the mistake and for having their test results announced on National TV.
