The View’s Whoopi Goldberg has revealed her sneaky tactics to expose gossip in her life – as she opened up about being “burned” by people she once considered trusted members of her inner circle.
Whoopi, 68, who first found fame as an actor in the early 1980s, laid bare her thoughts on “gossip” in a very heated exchange on Thursday’s show, in which she spoke out about the toll rumors and speculation can take of ‘famous people’.
The Sister Act star, who has been married three times, even shut down her co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin during the show when the former White House aide tried to say gossip can be “harmless.”
‘There’s no such thing!’ the mother-of-one shouted angrily, before explaining how you used to be able to “tear up the newspapers”, before adding: “Once it’s there, it’s there.”
Whoopi Goldberg has revealed how she once shared false information about herself ‘just to see who was talking about her’
Whoopi explained to her co-host Joy Behar that she doesn’t like it when people gossip and are “often burned”
The View’s Sunny Hostin admitted she ‘loves a bit of tea’ and even took a sip from her mug as she said it
Whoopi also called out her other co-host Sunny Hostin when she admitted that she “likes a bit of tea,” telling the lawyer, “But you don’t like tea to be about you!”
The Academy Award winner made her position on gossip very clear when she and the panel, including Joy Behar, discussed a new study that claims to have discovered that there is “a benefit to gossiping.”
“Researchers claim that it can help people work better together as a group and give the gossipers social power and useful information about someone, as long as the gossip is honest,” Whoopi read with a rather sarcastic look on her face.
‘What do you think?’ Joy, 81, asked her as Whoopi quickly replied: “I don’t do it.”
“You don’t like gossiping?” The comedian probed further, as Whoopi repeated, “I don’t like it,” which led to Joy trying to explain the different types of chatter.
“Well, it depends on what you consider gossip,” she said. “Like you know, ‘guess who’s sleeping with so and so’ is gossip or ‘I don’t like the way she wears her hair…’ but Whoopi fired back, ‘I don’t like that either !’
Alyssa, 34, intervened, saying, “There’s fun, innocent gossip and then there’s mean…” but the Ghost star intervened, telling her, “There’s no such thing!”
Sunny then added, “Well, the mean-spirited one must be untruthful, I guess,” before taking a sip from her mug as she admitted, “I enjoy a bit of tea myself…”
The 68-year-old Sister Act star said gossip can be ‘really hard on famous people’
Sunny explained to her co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin that when she talks about that person, she “usually has something about the other person”
Joy, 81, joked that she was ‘sworn to secrecy’ and was now ‘scared’ of her co-host Whoopi
“Yes, but you don’t like tea to be about you,” Whoopi responded as Sunny explained, “I don’t mind because I usually have something about the other person,” prompting Alyssa to joke, “ Ohhhh you’re one of these!’
‘Yes that’s me!’ Sunny snapped back when Whoopi blurted out, “She’d like you to think that’s the case, but in reality it’s not.”
Sunny continued, “They also say, Whoopi, the University of Maryland says you shouldn’t avoid the talk of its residents.”
‘I do!’ Whoopi replied. “Because the resident doesn’t check if I’m comfortable with my business on the street and I don’t like it, and I think this comes with age. I don’t want people talking about what I do.’
“Because you got burned,” Joy revealed, to which Whoopi admitted, “I got burned a lot.” Really burned. Even if it’s true, if I didn’t bring it out, why are you bringing it out?’
Still trying to argue her point, Sunny said, “I think it’s more personal gossip. For example, Joy and I like a little tea here and there…’, while Alyssa accused her of ‘calling Joy’.
Referring to fame, Whoopi then said: “It’s really tough on people, it’s tough on their kids. Listen, because people don’t think famous people are human or have feelings, or that their children have feelings, or what you have to deal with when a lie is told…
“Because now you can’t take back lies. You used to be able to tear up the papers and the newspapers, but now that it’s out there, it’s out there.’
Whoopi said she doesn’t like gossip because “the resident chatter doesn’t check if I’m comfortable with my business on the street”
Whoopi, pictured here in 1986, with her daughter Alexandrea and her second husband David Claessen
The Academy Award winner pictured with her daughter Alexandrea and two of her grandchildren in 2006
Alyssa then added, “You know what I like to do? I like to try to catch a gossip. You can plant false information and see if it finds its way,” as Whoopi admitted, “We did that. We did that to see who was talking,” which Alyssa described as “clever.”
“You see, that’s a bit of gossip I’d like to know more about!” Sunny joked when Joy told her, “She doesn’t gossip, so you’ll never find out!”
‘But you do!’ Sunny replied, while Joy joked, “I’m sworn to secrecy, and I’m now sacred to both of you!” as Whoopi told her, “You should be that good, damn it!”
