Whoopi Goldberg Shocks 'The View' Audience With Vaccination Poll

Whoopi Goldberg addressed "declining trust in childhood vaccines" during a candid discussion at the "Hot Topics" table on The View.

The moderator turned the talk show into an impromptu health checkup as she polled the studio audience on their vaccination status live on-air, prompting Joy Behar to jokingly quip, "If you're not, don't come back."

As the show returned from a commercial break, the EGOT-winning star of Ghost and Sister Act broached the topic of rising vaccination skepticism in America.

"This is so crazy, but as cold and flu season arrives, a new Washington Post poll found that one in six American parents are rejecting vaccine recommendations," the 69-year-old said.

"The majority of parents still support immunizations, but there's been a declining trust in childhood vaccines since the pandemic. When did people stop trusting their pediatricians? That's the person who has your baby!"

Turning to the audience, Goldberg posed a direct question, "Can I just ask one question? Everybody who's been vaccinated in this audience, just put your hand up?"

The camera captured co-hosts Sunny Hostin and Alyssa Farah Griffin raising their hands, and most of the audience followed suit. However, one woman sat with her arms crossed.

"And you're all still alive. Okay. I'm just checking," she remarked humorously.

Amidst the discussion, Behar chimed in, "If you're not, don't come back," and Hostin transitioned to address the implications of the vaccine hesitancy.

"I think it's terrifying," Hostin said. "There's this notion that I don't have to get vaccinated because everyone else is vaccinated, and there will be herd immunity." She noted that to achieve effective herd immunity, 95 percent of the population needs to be vaccinated, yet only 92 percent of children are immunized against diseases like measles, mumps, rubella and polio.

Hostin emphasized the stakes: "Do you know how many children can become severely ill or perhaps — God forbid — die? Global immunization efforts have saved an estimated 154 million lives. That's six lives every minute — 95 percent of those lives are children. As a parent myself, I had both of my kids vaccinated… but I do wonder why a parent would make the choice not to protect their child?"

In an unexpected turn, Goldberg later stunned the studio audience with breaking news of Robert Redford's passing earlier that day. Gasps echoed in the room as she delivered the information live on air, surprising an audience that had been cut off from news updates due to phone restrictions during a pre-taped segment.