Whoopi Goldberg Slammed Over Controversial 'Joke' About Lindsey Graham's Sexuality: 'It Was A Joke!'

Oscar winner Whoopi Goldberg recently addressed backlash over her comments about South Carolina Senator Lindsey...

Whoopi Goldberg Slammed Over Controversial ‘Joke’ About Lindsey Graham’s Sexuality: ‘It Was A Joke!’

Talk show host, Whoopi Goldberg recently addressed backlash over her comments about South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham during a recent episode of “The View.” Goldberg said she’d meant no harm and was simply joking around. She said she’d seen a tweet accusing her of calling Graham a closeted gay man.

The actress’ statements came during a discussion on the show about Graham’s recent political decisions. Guest speaker Karine Jean-Pierre questioned why the senator had recently changed his stance on the overturning of Roe v. Wade and the consequential abortion ban. In response, Goldberg suggested that Graham could be gay and planning to get married.

There were mixed reactions to Goldberg’s statements on social media, with some defending her and others saying she meant to attack Graham. Goldberg has had several controversial situations on The View, including her suspension earlier this year because of her comments on the Holocaust.

Read on to find out more.

‘The View’ Hosts Spoke On Lindsey Graham’s Political Decisions

According to RadarOnline, Goldberg spoke with White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre during a recent episode of “The View.” The drama began after Jean-Pierre spoke about Graham’s recent change in his views on abortion after the U.S Supreme court overturned Roe v. Wade.

Jean-Pierre spoke about the recent news that Graham had introduced a federal ban, shortly after he declared the states should handle the issue exclusively. She stated that it’s very likely the Republicans won’t stop if they get a federal ban on abortions but will target same-sex marriage next.

Jean-Pierre said, “Senator Graham said maybe about a month ago, in early August, that he believes, when it comes to marriage, when it comes to abortion, it’s for the states to decide, so, Senator Graham, what changed?” In response, Goldberg said, “Well, maybe he’s getting married?”

The show’s audience audibly expressed surprise at her statements as the “Sister Act” actress continued, “Do it quick, because I know people are fooling around with our marriage rights, wherever you stand.”

Whoopi Goldberg Clarified Her Statements

After Jean-Pierre concluded her appearance on the show, it went for a commercial break. Immediately after it returned, Goldberg began the next segment by clarifying her previous statements. A tweet had already gone viral, saying that Goldberg was “accusing Sen. Lindsey Graham of being a closeted gay man.”

The “Sarafina!” actress said, “Before I do this introduction, I need to make it clear that I was doing what I do as a comic. Sometimes I make jokes, and it was a joke, nothing more than that. I just got a whole conversation about people misunderstanding the joke. I mean, OK. I should probably never do this show again, if this is what it’s coming to. It was a joke, guys.”

There Were Mixed Reactions On Social Media

After Goldberg’s statements, many viewers took to Twitter to express their opinions on what she’d said. Some defended the TV host, while others said she’d gone too far, calling it a “foot-in-mouth” situation for Goldberg.

One comment (per Radar) criticized the show for making Goldberg apologize, tweeting, “You made Whoopi apologize for that?? It was a nothing, throw-away joke, that harmed absolutely no one, including Lindsey Graham.” Another wrote, “@WhoopiGoldberg is never cruel or inhumane in her comments. Relax y’all. Y’all know Linda Graham is a mess.”

Whoopi Goldberg Was Previously Suspended

This incident isn’t the first time Goldberg has been in a controversial situation on “The View.” The Oscar winner was suspended earlier this year because of her comments on the Holocaust during an episode of the show. Goldberg had been discussing a school board’s decision to remove Maus, a graphic novel about the Holocaust, from an arts curriculum.

At the time, she criticized the decision and said the Holocaust was “about man’s inhumanity to man.” Her statements quickly triggered a massive backlash on social media, prompting the actress to issue a public apology a few hours after the episode aired. She apologized to Jewish people worldwide and said she never meant to hurt anyone.

However, a few days after her apology, ABC president Kim Godwin shared a statement with E!News, announcing that Goldberg had been suspended for two weeks. The statement said that the suspension was because of Goldberg’s “wrong and hurtful comments.”