Why Whoopi Goldberg Is Unexpectedly Absent From ‘The View’
Don’t Miss Any Co-host Chaos
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It’s not uncommon for an episode of The View to be missing its main moderator, Whoopi Goldberg, as she is almost always off on Fridays. However, on Wednesday’s (February 19) episode, fans might have been surprised to see just four cohosts at the table — namely, Joy Behar, Sara Haines, Sunny Hostin, and Alyssa Farah Griffin — with Behar taking the top seat in her stead.
Goldberg’s absence from Wednesday’s show was not pre-announced during her appearance on Tuesday’s (February 18) episode, when she vigorously weighed in on the “Hot Topics” of the day, including the controversy over Saturday Night Live‘s 50th-anniversary “Black Jeopardy!” sketch. So why was she missing from the newest live episode?
As it turns out, Goldberg is out with the flu.
Behar announced as much at the top of the hour, explaining, “Unfortunately, I know you’ll be unhappy, but Whoopi is not here with us. She has the flu. Yes, feel better, Whoops. We miss you. Come back as soon as you can.”
“It’s going around,” Behar continued. “We’re supposed to be wearing masks again?”
Alyssa Farah Griffin suggested folks should take proper hygienic precautions to avoid the same, saying, “Sanitize your hands. Wash them 20 seconds.” But Sara Haines had a different piece of advice, joking, “Don’t go around children!”
There is no word yet on when Goldberg will return to her post on the show, but since she is usually absent on Fridays, except on very special occasions, she may not return until at least next week.
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