Whoopi Goldberg Is Untouchable at The View After Suspension

Whoopi Goldberg is back at The View after her two-week suspension and if you thought the controversy might have weakened her position… think again.

The suspension came after Goldberg said the Holocaust wasnt about race during a discussion about the banning of Maus in Tennessee schools. The comments drew immediate backlash. ABC News president Kim Godwin suspended her calling the comments “wrong and hurtful.”

Goldberg apologized multiple times. She met with Jewish leaders. She appeared genuinely interested in understanding why her comments caused such pain. By most accounts she did the work required to come back.

But heres the thing – her return hasnt been contentious at all. No protests. No advertiser boycotts. No calls for her permanent removal that gained any traction. The story basically just… went away.

That tells you something about Goldbergs position at the show and at ABC more broadly. Shes been moderating The View since 2007. Shes an EGOT winner. Shes a draw that the network doesnt want to lose.

Other hosts have been pushed out for far less. Remember the turnover on that panel over the years? Hosts come and go constantly. Whoopi stays. The suspension was a slap on the wrist that satisfied the people who needed to be satisfied without actually threatening her job.

Is that the right outcome? Depends on who you ask. Some think two weeks was proportionate for comments made from ignorance rather than malice. Others think a less famous host would have been fired immediately. Both takes have merit.

What seems clear is that Whoopi Goldberg has earned enough institutional protection that short of something catastrophic her seat at that table is secure. She’s back. The show continues. And everyone moves on.

Thats Hollywood for you.