Whoopi Goldberg recently apologized for reigniting the uproar she generated following her statement about the Holocaust during an interview with The Sunday Times. During her earlier remarks, Whoopi had asserted that this tragedy was not driven by race, but due to “white supremacy” and “man’s inhumanity to man,” – causing a suspension from The View. In her public statement of apology, Goldberg admitted that she had failed to convey her intended message and declared it was “never my intention to appear as if I was doubling down on hurtful comments.”
She made it clear that she was of the opinion that the Holocaust had to do with race and expressed her regret for having caused any offense.
The uproar started in January when Goldberg declared on The View that the Holocaust had nothing to do with race. This was met with an array of fury and outrage as many people argued that the Holocaust centered around race since Jews, Romani people, and others were persecuted based on their purported racial qualities by Nazi Germany.
In a bid to salvage her reputation and not be seen as unapologetic, Goldberg took part in an interview with The Late Show With Stephen Colbert the next day; however, she was tenacious on her viewpoint which led to being suspended from The View for two weeks.
During Hanukkah, the dispute was reignited when Goldberg made additional comments concerning the Holocaust in an interview with The Sunday Times. During the interview, Goldberg addressed the scandal and said that her closest friend once told her, “there’s no box on the census for the Jewish race.” This made her assume Jews were not a race in themselves.
When confronted with the reality that Adolf Hitler and the Nazis had created discriminatory laws targeting Jews, Goldberg shockingly asserted that originally, the Holocaust was not about race.
Goldberg’s comments caused massive public outcry and indignation, as many people chastised her for her callousness and ignorance. Jonathan Greenblatt, the chief executive of the Anti-Defamation League, spoke out about Goldberg’s words in a statement that demanded she gives an apology right away. “Whoopi Goldberg’s comments about the Holocaust and race are deeply offensive and incredibly disappointing, especially given that this is not the first time she had made remarks like this,” Greenblatt stated. “In a moment when antisemitic incidents have surged across the U.S., she should realize that making such ignorant statements can have real consequences.”
In her statement of apology, Goldberg accepted responsibility for her words and expressed regret for any hurt she may have caused. “I believe that the Holocaust was about race, and I am still as sorry now as I was then that I upset, hurt and angered people,” she stated. “My sincere apologies again, especially to everyone who thought this was a fresh rehash of the subject. I promise it was not.”
Goldberg underscored her wholehearted commitment to the Jewish community, conveying that “in this time of rising antisemitism, I want to be very clear when I say that I always stood with the Jewish people and always will. My support for them has not wavered and never will.”
