Whoopi Goldberg startled her cohosts on Wednesday morning’s episode of “The View,” when she casually revealed that she’s been to jail. But the ABC moderator was quick to imply she was only kidding.
The moment came during the last Hot Topic of the day, which the women went about choosing a little differently. Typically, the topics are decided on ahead of time, but, when it came time for the last one, Whoopi informed the audience that the hosts decided they didn’t like it, so they’d choose a topic at random.
With that, a small bag was literally lowered from the ceiling, containing a selection of new Hot Topics. The one Whoopi drew? A hypothetical question: “Would you rather hike the Appalachian Trail by yourself, or spend six months in jail?”
The topic threw her cohosts into a minor crisis, as Sara Haines marveled at the fact that “I’m considering jail right now!” Of course, former federal prosecutor Sunny Hostin quickly picked the grueling hike, citing her experience seeing some of the country’s prisons.
When Haines asked Whoopi what she would do, the moderator quipped “Well, I’ve done both.”
The moment stunned and delighted the other women, with host Alyssa Farah Griffin joking “of course you have!” Meanwhile, Joy Behar was deeply confused, asking for details.
“Doesn’t matter, does it?” Whoopi replied. But, she promised Behar “I’ll tell you about it” when she kept pushing for more.
And so, the conversation moved along. But, when “The View” returned from commercial break, Whoopi made a point to clarify things before ending the show, suggesting she was merely making a deadpan joke.
“I’m a humorist. So stop lookin’ it up!” she said. She later added, “You’ll be lookin’ ’til the cows come home.”
“The View” airs weekdays at 11 a.m. ET on ABC.