Goldberg has missed the show several times in the past due to COVID.
Joey Nolfi
By Joey Nolfi
September 05, 2023 at 11:31 AM EDT
The View is back for a new season — but moderator Whoopi Goldberg is not.
The Oscar-winning Ghost actress and longtime head of The View table missed Tuesday’s season 27 premiere after contracting COVID-19, cohost Joy Behar announced at the top of the episode.
“We’re back. Thank you, this is the premiere show of our 27th year on the air. I was here for all of it, except for two, when they canned me. When they sacked my behind,” the 80-year-old said. “As you can see, Whoopi is not here, she has COVID. Yes, it’s back, it’s back, but she’s on the mend, she’s on the tail end, and she’ll probably be back this week. But, sorry she’s not here, for those of you that were looking forward to seeing her.”
In February of this year, she was out sick with a “bad virus” that was not COVID-related, Behar announced at the time.
https://twitter.com/JoyVBehar?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1699066154852274589%7Ctwgr%5E145f411403154644ac7459837a62faaa3ad7e3d3%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Few.com%2Ftv%2Fwhoopi-goldberg-covid-misses-the-view-season-27-premiere%2F
While Goldberg was absent on The View, the show welcomed back all of its sitting cohosts — Goldberg, Behar, Sunny Hostin, Sara Haines, Ana Navarro, and Alyssa Farah Griffin — for a new season, and they all chatted while seated at a new wooden Hot Topics table that sat on a slightly refreshed set.
The View airs weekdays at 11 a.m. ET/PT on ABC.