Whoopi Goldberg apologized on Monday evening after she claimed during Monday’s telecast of The View that the Holocaust was “not about race.”
What led to Goldberg’s remark was a discussion about the Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novel Maus, and how a Tennessee school district removed the book from its 8th grade curriculum.
“This was the plan with these anti-history laws that started being passed. These CRT—alleged CRT laws—started being passed,” The View’s Sunny Hostin said of censorship in schools. “I don’t think people saw far enough into the future. You start banning discussions about race and then you start banning discussions about the Holocaust, then you start banning discussions about the LGBTQ community. That’s where it started and this was all very planned in my view.”
Hostin went on to condemn parents who have taken issue with discussions of race because it makes their children “uncomfortable,” arguing that discomfort can help students learn how to empathize with others.
“If you teach a white kid what happened to his friend who happens to be Black, he might feel terrible about what happened. That doesn’t mean he feels bad that he did something,” added co-host Joy Behar. “This is the confusion they’re creating I believe.”
Co-host Sara Haines spoke about colleges, pointing to a previous conversation with CNN contributor Van Jones, during which he argued that students should be prepared for pushback on their beliefs.
“If you’re going to do this, then let’s be truthful about it, because the Holocaust isn’t about race,” Goldberg added. “No. It’s not about race.”
The hosts seemed a bit stunned after Goldberg went that route, with Behar noting that the Nazis “considered Jews a different race.” Goldberg seemed to insist that the Holocaust was not about race and instead about “man’s inhumanity to man.”
Navarro pushed back, “But it’s about white supremacy,” also noting that Nazis targeted other groups.
Goldberg doubled down on her stance, claiming that the Holocaust was about “two white groups of people,” prompting Haines to emphasize that World War II Nazis did not see Jewish people as white.
“But you’re missing the point. You’re missing the point. The minute you turn it into race, it goes down this alley. Let’s talk about it for what it is. It’s how people treat each other. That’s the problem. It doesn’t matter if you are Black or white, because Black, white, Jews, Italians, everybody eats each other,” Goldberg continued. “So is it—if you are uncomfortable if you hear about Maus, should you be worried—should your child say, ‘oh my God, I wonder if that’s me?’ No. That’s not what they’re going to say. They’re going to say, ‘I don’t want to be like that.’”
Goldberg issued the following apology on Twitter:
— Whoopi Goldberg (@WhoopiGoldberg) February 1, 2022
The Jewish people around the world have always had my support and that will never waiver [sic]. I’m sorry for the hurt I have caused.
Written with my sincerest apologies, Whoopi Goldberg