Whoopi Goldberg suspended from ABC for two weeks over Holocaust remark

Josh Salisbury2 February 2022

Whoopi Goldberg has been suspended from her role as presenter of US talk show The View for two weeks after her "wrong and hurtful" claim that the Holocaust was not about race.

Kim Godwin, president of ABC News network, said she had asked Goldberg to take time to "reflect and learn about the impact of her comments".

The star was criticised after claiming the Holocaust was not about race as it involved “two groups of white people”.

She later apologised for the comments, made on an episode of The View in a discussion about a Tennessee school board’s decision to ban the graphic novel Maus about the Holocaust.

In a statement on Tuesday, Ms Godwin said: "Effective immediately I am suspending Whoopi Goldberg for two weeks following her wrong and hurtful comments.

"While Whoopi has apologised, I have asked her to take time to reflect and learn about the impact of her comments.

"The entire ABC News organisation stands in solidarity with our Jewish colleagues, friends, family and communities."

The decision to suspend Goldberg was made in consultation with the highest tiers of management at Disney, which owns ABC News, according to Variety.

The actress sparked condemnation after saying: “Let's be truthful, the Holocaust isn't about race, it's not.

"It's about man's inhumanity to man, that's what it's about. These are two groups of white people."

She added: “It’s about how people treat each other. It’s a problem. It doesn’t matter if you’re black or white, Jews … everybody eats each other.”

Goldberg’s comments were critcised by Jonathan Greenblatt, the chief executive of the Anti-Defamation League which campaigns against anti-Semitism, The Auschwitz Memorial and StopAntisemitism.org.

She has yet to comment on her suspension. In her apology she said: “On today's show I said the Holocaust 'is not about race, but about man's inhumanity to man'. I should have said it is about both.

"As Jonathan Greenblatt from of the Anti-Defamation League shared, 'The Holocaust was about the Nazi's systematic annihilation of the Jewish people - who they deemed to be an inferior race'. I stand corrected.

"The Jewish people around the world have always had my support and that will never (waver). I am sorry for the hurt I have caused.”

Prior to her suspension, Mr Greenblatt had thanked the presenter for her apology.

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