Whoopi Goldberg addressed her one-month absence from The View following a bout with pneumonia.
“Hey, yes, it’s me. I am here,” she said in a pre-taped video message that aired on the ABC morning show on Friday, March 8. “I am up and moving around. Not as fast as I’d like to be, but I am OK. I’m not dead. So here’s what happened: I had pneumonia and I was septic. Pneumonia in both lungs, which mean there was fluid, there was all kinds of stuff going on. And yes, I came very, very close to leaving the Earth. Good news, I didn’t. Thank you for all of your good wishes. And all of the wonderful things that you have been saying. … And ladies, I cannot wait to see y’all. This has been interesting and I’ll tell you about it when we’re all at the table. See you soon.”
Goldberg, 63, last appeared on The View on February 6. Cohost Joy Behar cleared up rumors about the EGOT winner’s leave during the February 20 episode. “She’s actually recovering from pneumonia. That’s what she had,” the 76-year-old explained at the time. “It’s a serious thing.”
She added: “She’s not really even well enough to host this show right now. … She’s getting there. She’s on the mend, so we miss you, Whoopi.”
Behar’s clarification came amid rumors that Goldberg was out because she was secretly preparing to host the 91st annual Academy Awards on February 24. However, the theory proved untrue, as the telecast aired without a host.
A source told Us Weekly earlier this week that the Sister Act star’s return date to The View was unclear and the staff had not been notified about when she would come back.
The View’s official Twitter account announced on Thursday, March 7: “We’ve been sending our well wishes every day from the Hot Topics table and tomorrow morning we will hear from @WhoopiGoldberg herself on how she’s doing as she recovers from pneumonia.”
Goldberg was scheduled to cohost Love Rocks NYC with Martin Short on Thursday night, but she was a no-show. An insider told Us that the 68-year-old comedian carried on without her.
The Ghost actress has also been quiet on Twitter since February 5 and on Instagram since February 11.
Goldberg joined The View, which is now in its 22nd season, as a cohost in season 11. She has remained in the position since 2007. Behar, Meghan McCain, Sunny Hostin, Abby Huntsman and Ana Navarro host alongside the Oscar winner.
The View airs on ABC weekdays at 11 a.m. ET.
