US actress, Whoopi Goldberg, has been suspended from the ABC network show she hosts following controversial comments she made about the Holocaust.
The actress and TV personality stated on ABC’s ‘The View’ that the Nazi genocide of the Jews was “not about race”. However, she apologized then further caused an offense while attempting to explain her remarks on another late-night show, ‘The Late Show with Stephen Colbert’.
According to ABC News, the actress has been suspended for two weeks after her “wrong and hurtful comments”. In a note to staff, ABC News President, Kim Godwin wrote: “Effective immediately, I am suspending Whoopi Goldberg for two weeks for her wrong and hurtful comments.
“While Whoopi has apologized, I’ve asked her to take time to reflect and learn about the impact of her comments. The entire ABC News organization stands in solidarity with our Jewish colleagues, friends, family, and communities”.
Kim Godwin
Kim noted that a decision such as this is never easy, but necessary. She then explained that Just last week, she disclosed that the culture at ABC News is one that is driven, kind, inclusive, respectful, and transparent. However, Whoopi’s comments do not align with those values. Therefore, the need to take this action.
Goldberg Renders Third Apology
Earlier on Tuesday, Goldberg issued her third public apology. While opening ‘The View’ talk show, Goldberg said: “Yesterday on the show I misspoke. It [The Holocaust] is indeed about race because, Hitler and the Nazis considered the Jews to be an inferior race.
“Now, words matter, and mine are no exception. I regret my comments and I stand corrected. I also stand with the Jewish people”.
Goldberg
The 66-year-old Oscar-winning actress, who has been on ‘The View’ since 2007, first made the controversial comments on Monday’s show while discussing a Tennessee school board’s banning of a graphic novel about the Holocaust on the grounds that it showed nudity, profanity, and suicide.
Amid the uproar, she released an apology hours later. However, on CBS’ ‘The Late Show with Stephen Colbert’ on that Monday night, while attempting to clarify her comments, she mentioned that the Nazis had lied and actually had issues with ethnicity, not race, which caused further offense.
Well, this is not the first time Goldberg has caused controversy. Goldberg, who is one of just 16 entertainers in the world to have won an Emmy Award, a Grammy Award, an Acadamy Award, and a Tony Award, has been criticized for controversial positions in the past.
In 2009, Goldberg intimated that an embattled film director, Roman Polanksi, who pleaded guilty to “unlawful sex with a minor” in 1977 – was not guilty of “rape rape”.
That was not the end of it, as she was also backlashed for defending comedian and actor, Bill Cosby he faced dozens of sexual abuse allegations. However, she later changed her stance on Cosby.
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