Whoopi Goldberg.Photo: Charles Sykes/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images
Whoopi Goldbergis putting the health and safety of those around her first.
Goldberg was noticeably absent fromThe Viewon Wednesday after she was potentially exposed to COVID-19. Her co-hostJoy Beharsaid that while Goldberg feels “fine and healthy,” she will miss Thursday’s show as well out of an abundance of caution.
“Whoopi wanted me to tell everyone because she feels fine and healthy but because she was in close contact with someone who tested positive, she won’t be here today and tomorrow,” Behar explained
Behar explained that while Goldberg has tested negative, the show’s staff are prohibited from entering the premises if they’ve come in contact with the viral illness.
“If you’re near someone who has been exposed and is positive, you can’t come here. That’s the way we operate here,” Behar added. “She also wanted me to share that she tested negative earlier today and she had her booster. You will see her on Friday because we taped a show earlier this week.”
Goldberg, who has been co-hosting the daytime series since 2007, revealed in March thatshe got her first doseof the COVID-19 vaccine.
“The most important step that everybody can do to end all that’s happening is you got to get vaccinated,” she said onThe View. “And I am happy to tell you that last night, I finally got my first shot at New York’s 24-hour vaccination site at the Javits Center.”
“Let me tell you, I was sweating. When you look at it on the news, the needle looks this big. It turns out, the needle is this big and I didn’t feel it,” she continued, using her hands to show a measurement of the vaccine needle. “That was important. And I said to them, ‘How do we tell people that it’s not this gigantic thing?’ We have to get folks in here to make that decision and also, to do it for other folks.”
Jenny Anderson/ABC via Getty
The following month, Goldberg showed fans herexperience getting her second COVID-19 shot.
“It’s in, it’s good, it’s done,” she said. “… As you see, I did it. I did it. So, I got my second shot.”
And this isn’t the first time the show has dealt with potential exposure to virus. During an episode ofThe Viewin late September, co-hostsSunny HostinandAna Navarrowere suddenly asked to leave the table in the middle of filming. Behar then revealed on-air that Hostin, 53, and Navarro, 49, hadtested positive for COVID-19.
“No matter how hard we try, these things happen,” Behar said after Hostin and Navarro exited. “They probably had a breakthrough case and they’ll be okay, I’m sure, because they’re both vaccinated … And the vice president is being prepped for her arrival. They cleaned the table, they washed the hands. Everybody is getting all cleaned up and she’ll be out here in a second.”
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
It was later revealed Hostin and Navarro’s test results were false positives. “This is the update: We were all given numerous, numerous COVID tests,” Behar said as co-hostSara Haineschimed in, “My nostrils are so sensitive.”
“I am thrilled to report that Sunny and Ana’s Friday results turned out to be false positives, and everyone is safe, healthy and COVID-free,” Behar continued. “No one’s got it. It was a mistake of some sort.”
The View’s executive producer Brian Teta thenapologized to Hostin and Navarro on-air, saying “mistakes were made.”
“That led to some really awkward television that I’d like to have back if I could,” he said. “But I really want to acknowledge and apologize to Sunny and Ana, because in the midst of all this chaos, they were put in this position where they had this information put out on television.”
As information about thecoronavirus pandemicrapidly changes, PEOPLE is committed to providing the most recent data in our coverage. Some of the information in this story may have changed after publication. For the latest on COVID-19, readers are encouraged to use online resources from theCDC,WHOandlocal public health departments.PEOPLE has partnered with GoFundMeto raise money for the COVID-19 Relief Fund, a GoFundMe.org fundraiser to support everything from frontline responders to families in need, as well as organizations helping communities. For more information or to donate, clickhere.
source: people.com
