“The View” host Sara Haines is defending co-host Whoopi Goldberg from those saying her punishment for saying the Holocaust “isn’t about race” wasn’t extensive enough. Goldberg was suspended for two weeks from the ABC program last Wednesday, and for Haines, it’s more about the opportunity for Whoopi to have a learning moment.
On Friday, Haines posted an old picture of herself and Goldberg on Instagram, captioning it “This just popped up and warmed my heart. That’s my Whoops!!!!” Very quickly, the comments section of the post was flooded with people scolding Haines for showing her co-host any kind of support. So, she bit back.
“I’d like to invite people trolling the post to go play somewhere else,” she wrote in a separate comment. “To learn from a moment is all we can ask of anyone. And prioritizing punitive measures at the expense of the message/issue (and teaching moment) are misguided.”
Haines’s comments mark the most the hosts of “The View” have said about Goldberg’s suspension, as they ignored the topic completely on the air, aside from a top-of-show mention on Wednesday.
Goldberg made her original comments on Monday, saying the Holocaust wasn’t a race issue, but “about man’s inhumanity to man.” She quickly drew criticism for her comments, and on Tuesday, issued an expanded apology on the show.
“I said something that I feel a responsibility for not leaving unexamined because my words upset so many people, which was never my intention,” Goldberg said. “And 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.”
Still, on Tuesday night, it was announced by ABC News president Kim Godwin that Goldberg would be taken off the air for two weeks.
“Effective immediately, I am suspending Whoopi Goldberg for two weeks for her wrong and hurtful comments,” Godwin wrote in a statement on Twitter. “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.”