Whoopi Goldberg: Why She Was Missing From ‘The View’s Season 27 Premiere

The comedian and moderator was noticeably absent from the 'Hot Topics' table as the daytime talk show kicked off for their new season.

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September 5, 2023 1:02PM EDT
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THE VIEW, Barbara Walters, 1997-. photo: Andrew Eccles / © ABC / Courtesy: Everett Collection
THE VIEW - 10/8/18 "The View" welcomes co-host Meghan McCain back to the Hot Topics table, Jamie Lee Curtis is the guest, and Yvette Nicole Brown co-hosts today, Monday, October 8, 2018. "The View" airs Monday-Friday (11:00 am-12:00 noon, ET) on the ABC Television Network. VW18 (ABCLou Rocco) MEGHAN MCCAIN
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Whoopi Goldberg was missing from The View as the show’s 27th season premiered on Tuesday, Sep. 5. Unfortunately, the EGOT-winner tested positive for COVID-19 before the daytime talk show returned, causing her to miss the premiere of the new season. Joy Behar shared the news as she kicked off the new season from the “Hot Topics” table.

While the show had a few differences as season 27 began (like a new set of mugs and table), Joy explained that Whoopi had gotten sick towards the end of her summer break. “As you can see, Whoopi is not here. She has COVID. Yes, it’s back!” she said.  “She’s on the mend. She’s on the tail end, and she’ll probably be back this week, but sorry she’s not here for those of you who were looking forward to seeing her.”

While it’s not currently clear when Whoopi will return, hopefully, she’ll be back at the new “Hot Topics” table soon! Even though it’s been quite some time since a View host has tested positive for COVID, this isn’t the first time that the Sister Act star has tested positive for the virus. Back in January 2022, the hosts were forced to shoot in isolation again after Whoopi and Sunny Hostin both tested positive for the virus during the Omnicron spike. Whoopi was also out in February of this year when she fell ill with another virus, per Entertainment Weekly. The actress had also taken time off the show when she was filming the Amazon Prime series Anansi Boys in April 2022.

The hosts have had their share of COVID scares after returning to the studio amid the pandemic. The most surprising came when the ladies were preparing to interview Vice President Kamala Harris. Sunny and Ana Navarro were rushed offstage in the middle of the broadcast, after testing positive for the virus. While Joy and Sara Haines conducted the interview via video, their co-hosts had to sit out the special occasion. Once the show returned the following week, it was revealed that the two of them had both had false positives.