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Whoopi Goldberg has been a host of The View for a long time, which means plenty of audience members must like her. But there’s at least one former cohost of the show that believes Goldberg doesn’t like her. So who is it? Here’s the story of Goldberg’s stint on the show and the cohost who says the two did not get along at all. 

The premise of ‘The View’ 

The View is a daily talk show that features several hosts (typically four women, though the numbers can fluctuate and men have co-hosted in the past) participating in a combination of panel discussions mixed with guest interviews. According to IMDb, the show launched in 1997 on ABC, the brainchild of famed interviewer and broadcast journalist Barbara Walters. The first group of co-hosts on the show was Walters, Debbie Matenopoulos, Meredith Vieira, and Star Jones. 

The show has had quite a few personalities pop up in its rotating cast of hosts, including: 

  • Raven Symone
  • Candace Cameron Bure
  • Joy Behar
  • Sunny Hostin
  • Elisabeth Hasselbeck

The current crew consists of Behar, Goldberg, Hostin, Megan McCain, and Sara Haines. It airs every day on ABC and covers a wide range of topics such as politics, lifestyle, and entertainment. 

Whoopi Goldberg’s tenure on ‘The View’

Cinderella cast member Whoopi Goldberg
Whoopi Goldberg | BET2020/Getty Images for BET NETWORKS

 Goldberg’s always been known as an affable, capable performer appearing in movies and TV shows, and it was that energy she brought to The View. She has co-hosted The View from 2005 to the present, appearing on a whopping 1,943 episodes.

While Goldberg has said she does enjoy appearing on the show, she also acknowledged to the New York Times that as an artist, she needed to seek creative satisfaction elsewhere: 

“What you’re asking is, ‘Is The View enough?’ It’s not…Ten years is a long time, and now I’m starting to do other stuff. I’m doing books. I’m adventuring into THC products. I’m creating the clothes.”

She also said that she’s playing something of a character on the show, looking to drive discussion and debate in a way she might not in a less formal, more casual conversation: 

“… In a way, I am playing a role…These are not conversations that I’m having with my friends. If they were, we’d be doing it differently. My friends and I can talk about things in depth in a different way than you can on television.”

The former ‘The View’ host who believes Whoopi Goldberg didn’t like her

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While Goldberg is well-liked by viewers as evidenced by her years-long stint on the show, she hasn’t gotten along with everyone. Goldberg often gets into heated discussions on the program, and one former cohost felt the two really didn’t click. That cohost? Rosie O’Donnell. 

According to Best Life, O’Donnell had multiple stints hosting the show. She returned after a long hiatus in 2014. She left yet again, and Howard Stern asked her point-blank in April of last year if she had been asked to return for a third run. O’Donnell said no and said that her lack of chemistry with Goldberg played a big part. 

“I think we all agreed that the last time…it was better for everyone…Whoopi really didn’t like me.”

O’Donnell said that the beginning of their rift came during O’Donnell’s first show. The show’s producers were gesturing for Goldberg to send the show to a commercial. O’Donnell thought Goldberg missed the cue and intercepted the request, telling the audience the show was headed for an ad break. O’Donnell thought Goldberg took offense to this.  

O’Donnell later wrote about the experience in her autobiography. For anyone wondering what was wrong between the two, she recommended they “Go back and watch.” As far as O’Donnell was concerned, Goldberg’s disdain for her was apparent just from viewing their interactions on the show. 

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