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Whoopi Goldberg Explains Choice Of Romani Slur On 'The View' In Apology Video

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By Afouda Bamidele on March 17, 2023 at 11:00 PM EDT

Whoopi Goldberg has backtracked for using an offensive term on Wednesday's episode of "The View."

The word, derived from an outdated and derogatory term for the Romani — or Roma — people, is a once-commonly used synonym for deceived or cheated. The actress had used the slur during a conversation about the former United States President Donald Trump and pornographic actress Stormy Daniels.

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Whoopi Goldberg Backtracks On Use Of Racial Slur, Blames Her Experience For The Mistake

If there is one thing that Goldberg has become known for recently, it would be her less-than-acceptable comments on specific topics. Just last year, the actress received a two-week suspension from "The View" following the criticism her remarks on the Holocaust received.

Now, she has been called out for using the racist term associated with the Romani people while talking about Trump's political base during the 2020 elections. As the conversation progressed, the 67-year-old stated, "people who still believe that he got gy***d somehow in the election will still believe that he cared enough about his wife to pay the money from his personal thing."

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Whoopi Goldberg Explains Choice Of Romani Slur On 'The View' In Apology Video
Instagram | Whoopi Goldberg
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Once the "Made in America" actress realized her errors, she apologized, explaining where the mistake came from. In the video uploaded to the daytime talk show's Twitter account, she stated:

"You know, when you're a certain age, you use words that you know from when you're a kid, or you remember saying, and that's what I did today, and I shouldn't have."

Goldberg admitted that she should have "thought about it a little longer" before using it, "but I didn't, and I should have said 'cheated,' and I used another word, and I'm really, really sorry."

Fans were quick to show their support for the legendary screen goddess, with one tweeting, "Well, I learned something today! Thanks for this teaching moment. I won't say this in the future!"

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A second fan pointed out how difficult it was to be on television these days because of how quickly celebrities got "canceled" for making mistakes. A third Twitter user replied, "Always respect you Whoopi. I do not understand the issue here. Absolutely love that you acknowledge and apologize!!!"

A fourth person guessed that "a lot of ppl didn't even know the origin of the word until they had to Google why Whoopi apologized for it." Meanwhile, a critic believed that Goldberg would soon be apologizing for another racist act in the future, bringing to mind the Holocaust debacle of January 2022. 

As reported by The Blast at the time, even though the "Eddie" star had expressed regret for stating that the Holocaust was not a race-based issue, she had previously doubled down on her stance. 

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Per the article, she had come under fresh fire in December 2022 after claiming she was confused about why her earlier statements. In the words of the EGOT queen:

"My best friend said, 'Not for nothing is there no box on the census for the Jewish race.' So that leads me to believe that we're probably not a race." 

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The Grammy Awards Winner Hurt By Her Co-Host's Seeming Jab At Her

Early last month, The Blast conveyed that the Whoopi & Maya co-founder reacted to news that her former co-host Joy Behar was happy to be fired from "The View" in 2013. At the time, Behar had told an interviewer that she was "glad to be fired" because she was "sick of the show at that point for some reason" that she did not "even remember." 

However, the comedian's desire to stay away from the show did not last long as she returned in 2015, signing a contract to keep her on the hot seat till 2025, last year. The 80-year-old reiterated her previous excitement during a conversation at the Hot Topics table, where she claimed that having friends where she worked was essential for her.

Further explaining, she mentioned, "if I don't have friends at the job, I will not keep the job." The "Hall Pass" actress then vocalized her answer to people who wanted to know how she felt about getting fired:

"I was happy because all my friends had left already. So, there was no reason to stay anymore. I mean it."

The statement seemed to offend Goldberg — a permanent cast of "The View" at the time — and she queried, "Really? All your friends left?" Behar explained that the "Sister Act" lead had just joined, so it was not the same. Later, Goldberg divulged that they have "been friends for a long time" and she was "teasing" her co-host.

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