Whoopi Goldberg made an appearance on The Late Show, and discussed her recent controversy over comments made on The View.

News

Whoopi Goldberg Clarifies

During a discussion on Monday’s episode of The View regarding the recent Tennessee School Board ban of Art Speigelman’s Holocaust graphic novel Maus, Goldberg stated that the Holocaust was “not about race, but about man’s inhumanity to man.” Her statement received immediate criticism, including accusations of anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial.

“It upset a lot of people,” she said to Stephen Colbert on The Late Show.  “I thought we were having a discussion.”

Colbert allowed Goldberg to get her intention out before diving into the discussion. “When we talk about race, it’s a very different thing to me. I said I felt the Holocaust wasn’t about race,” she continued. “As a Black person, I think of race as something that I can see. So I see you, and know what race you are.”

She went on to further explain the meaning behind her statement, rather than retract it, again with little prompting from Colbert himself.

On the Holocaust, Goldberg had viewed both the Nazis in power and the Jewish people being exterminated as white. “To me, how can you say it’s about race if you’re fighting each other,” Goldberg told Colbert, while explaining that being a visible minority is a prerequisite for experiencing racism. “You couldn’t tell who was Jewish, they had to delve deeply to figure it out.”

News

Goldberg Deals With The Backlash

“I don’t want to fake apologize,” stated Goldberg. She didn’t spend any time apologizing for the content of her remarks while on The Late Show. Goldberg received many messages from viewers on social media throughout Monday regarding her statements. “I’m incredibly torn up by being told these things about myself,” she continued in reference to the accusations of anti-Semitism.

“I get it. Folks are angry, I accept that, and I did it to myself,” she conceded on The Late Show. “I’ll work hard not to think that way again.”

Before going to commercial to continue the interview on another topic, Goldberg looked into the camera to say “I’m going to take your word for it,” finishing with “And never bring it up again.”

Goldberg has since published a formal apology on Twitter. ABC has suspended her from The View for two weeks.

Tune in to The Late Show with Stephen Colbert airing weeknights at 11.35 et/pt on Global, and watch the latest episodes and clips online here on GlobalTV.com or the Global TV App!