Whoopi Goldberg Missing From 'The View' For Third Day Due To 'Bad Virus'
Whoopi Goldberg has once again missed a day at The View as she continues to fight off illness.
"Whoopi's still out sick today," cohost Joy Behar told the audience and viewers at home during the Thursday, February 23, show. "She's got a bad virus of some sort."
Though Thursday marked the third day Goldberg, 67, was missing from the panel — as the moderator is always off on Fridays — Behar promised that the EGOT winner will "be back next week. She'll be back."
One day prior, Behar shared that "Whoopi is still out, coughing up. I'm sorry, you're stuck with us. She's fighting a bad cold," with Sunny Hostin adding: "Those colds are going around."
When Goldberg was first out for the day on Tuesday, February 21, guest Michael B. Jordan started off his segment with well-wishes, saying, "Shout out to Whoopi. Mwah! Get better."
This wasn't the first time Goldberg had been out sick as of late. Back in November 2022, Goldberg contracted COVID-19 for the second time, resulting in her missing several filming days. She first tested positive in January 2022 and missed multiple episodes after the Christmas holiday break.
Goldberg's absence comes as she's been ruffling some feathers both backstage and at home with viewers. Aside from reigniting backlash over her previous antisemitic remarks by doubling down on her stance, she's been repeatedly ignoring producers when they've attempted to give instructions during filming.
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At this point, her inner circle is "begging her to walk away to save herself" — following her February 2022 suspension for her claims about the Holocaust — but one source suggested she is unlikely to throw in the towel unless given a big paycheck.
"She wants a hefty payoff to leave or else she’ll stay and make everyone miserable," explained the insider last month. "Whoopi has three years left on her contract, but after her embarrassing blunders, the feeling is it might be prudent to replace her."
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"Whoopi’s attitude is they can put her out to pasture, but they’re going to have to cough up some serious cash," the source added, noting the four-year contract she signed in September 2021 was estimated to earn her $8 million each year.
People reported on Goldberg's three-day absence.