ABC News President Kim Godwin announced on February 1 that Whoopi Goldberg will be suspended for two weeks after stating that “the Holocaust isn’t about race” during a January 31 episode of “The View.”
Godwin said in a statement that Goldberg’s comments were “hurtful and wrong” and that Goldberg needed time to “reflect and learn about the impact of her comments” despite apologizing. “The entire ABC News organization stands in solidarity with our Jewish colleagues, friends, family and communities,” she added.
#BREAKING: ABC News suspends @WhoopiGoldberg for two weeks from The View for saying the Holocaust was 'not about race'. pic.twitter.com/0720auDE52
— Emily Finn (@EmilyRoseFinn) February 2, 2022
Reactions to her suspension were mixed.
“I think this is a justified response from ABC, not necessarily because of her initial comments but because she doubled down on Colbert,” educator and author Ben Freeman tweeted. “This isn’t Whoopi being cancelled, this is her being held accountable for trying to justify her racist remarks.” Goldberg had initially doubled down on her comments on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” arguing that what she was trying to say was that the Holocaust “wasn’t based on the skin, you couldn’t tell who was Jewish.”
Whoopi has been suspended.
I think this is a justified response from ABC, not necessarily because of her initial comments but because she doubled down on Colbert.
This isn’t Whoopi being cancelled, this is her being held accountable for trying to justify her racist remarks.
— Ben M. Freeman (@BenMFreeman) February 2, 2022
Journal columnist and New Media Director Blake Flayton, who is also the Co-Founder of the New Zionist Congress, tweeted that “nobody in their right mind” asked for Goldberg to be suspended.
Nobody in their right mind asked for this. Chill. https://t.co/Qb2y9dMkfq
— Blake Flayton (@blakeflayton) February 2, 2022
Jerusalem Post Senior Contributing Editor Lahav Harkov tweeted that she wasn’t sure she supported Goldberg’s suspension. “Whoopi apologized and brought [Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt] onto the show to explain what was wrong with what she said (and I read Colbert was recorded before they talked and she apologized),” she wrote. “I don’t think she was malicious even if what she said was very ignorant.”
Idk that I support this. Whoopi apologized and brought @JGreenblattADL onto the show to explain what was wrong with what she said (and I read Colbert was recorded before they talked and she apologized). I don’t think she was malicious even if what she said was very ignorant.
— Lahav Harkov (@LahavHarkov) February 2, 2022
George Mason University Law Professor Eugene Kontorovich tweeted, “Whoopi’s comments were racist but not malicious. The notion that Jews are not treated as a race is fundamentally wrong and offensive – but so widespread in contemporary culture (‘Jews are white’; ‘Jews of color’, etc.) that you can’t blame HER for it. So yes, keep her on.”
Whoopi's comments were racist but not malicious. The notion that Jews are not treated as a race is fundamentally wrong and offensive – but so widespread in contemporary culture ("Jews are white"; "Jews of color", etc.) that you can't blame HER for it. So yes, keep her on. https://t.co/wPzWHX8OeC
— Eugene Kontorovich (@EVKontorovich) February 2, 2022
Tablet Chief Technology Officer Noam Blum tweeted, “Don’t criticize Whoopi’s suspension because people shouldn’t be suspended for controversial comments. Criticize it because it’s the network’s way of trying to worm out of any bad publicity it might cause for THEM. Even calling it a ‘suspension’ is buying their cover story.”
Don't criticize Whoopi's suspension because people shouldn't be suspended for controversial comments. Criticize it because it's the network's way of trying to worm out of any bad publicity it might cause for THEM. Even calling it a "suspension" is buying their cover story.
— Noam Blum (@neontaster) February 2, 2022
This article has been updated.
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