It seems like Whoopi Goldberg is prioritizing her health and safety.
On Wednesday, the 66-year-old was noticeably absent from the chat show The View after she was potentially exposed to the coronavirus. Her co-host Joy Behar said that Goldberg feels “fine and healthy,” but she will miss Thursday’s show out of an abundance of caution.
Behar, 79, said, “Whoopi wanted me to tell everyone because she feels fine and healthy but because she was in close contact with someone who tested positive, she won’t be here today and tomorrow.”
Goldberg has tested negative, but the show’s staff are prohibited from entering the premises if they have potentially encountered the viral illness, according to Behar.
“If you’re near someone who has been exposed and is positive, you can’t come here. That’s the way we operate here,” Behar said. “She also wanted me to share that she tested negative earlier today and she had her booster. You will see her on Friday because we taped a show earlier this week.”
In March, Goldberg revealed that she got her first dose of the COVID vaccine.
She said at the time on The View, “The most important step that everybody can do to end all that’s happening is you got to get vaccinated. And I am happy to tell you that last night, I finally got my first shot at New York’s 24-hour vaccination site at the Javits Center.”
Goldberg went on to say that we can return to normal by getting vaccinated against the virus. She said, “This is no joke. People are still dying. “We’re on the road” to overcoming the pandemic.
In April, Goldberg shared her experience of getting the second shot. She said at the time, “It’s in, it’s good, it’s done. As you see, I did it. I did it. So, I got my second shot.”
This is not the first time the chat show has dealt with potential exposure to the virus. In late September, during one episode, co-hosts Ana Navarro and Sunny Hostin were asked to leave the table in the middle of filming. Later, Behar revealed on-air that Navarro and Hostin had tested positive for COVID.
Talking about the Navarro and Hostin’s exit, Behar said, “No matter how hard we try, these things happen. They probably had a breakthrough case and they’ll be okay, I’m sure, because they’re both vaccinated … And the vice president is being prepped for her arrival..”
“They cleaned the table, they washed the hands,” she added. “Everybody is getting all cleaned up and she’ll be out here in a second.”
However, it was later revealed Navarro and Hostin’s test results were false positives. Behar said, “This is the update: We were all given numerous, numerous COVID tests. I am thrilled to report that Sunny and Ana’s Friday results turned out to be false positives, and everyone is safe, healthy and COVID-free. No one’s got it. It was a mistake of some sort.”
Brian Teta, executive producer of The View then apologized to Navarro and Hostin on-air, saying “mistakes were made.”
He said, “That led to some really awkward television that I’d like to have back if I could. But I really want to acknowledge and apologize to Sunny and Ana, because in the midst of all this chaos, they were put in this position where they had this information put out on television.”
