Whoopi Goldberg has dominated headlines since the beginning of the month, after making controversial, on-air statements on The View. During the show’s January 31st episode, the actress and TV personality stated that the anti-semitism present during the Holocaust was not comparable to racism. The host would later apologize and receive a two-week suspension from ABC. Since then, a number of people have chimed in on the situation, with the latest being Scandal alum Joshua Malina. The actor defended Goldberg and, while doing so, he contrasted her situation with Mel Gibson’s past controversies.
Though Whoopi Goldberg has received much backlash for her comments, Joshua Malina, who played David Rosen during Scandal's seven-season run, does not seem to believe that it’s completely warranted. He made it clear that he would not put the actress as Mel Gibson, who has come under fire for making anti-semetic remarks in the past. And Malina didn’t mince words while discussing what he sees as the differences in Goldberg and Gibson’s situations:
To me, there is a bad person who is a Jew hater, and then there’s Whoopi Goldberg, who misspoke or needed to clarify or educate or discuss. … She’s getting a two-week suspension [from ‘The View’], and he [Gibson], every time I turn on my computer, he’s starring in a new movie. Apparently he’s potentially going to direct ‘Lethal Weapon 5.’ Let’s keep our focus on the worst of it. I find it appalling.
Mel Gibson, who is indeed reportedly set to star in Lethal Weapon 5, has been involved several controversies regarding anti-semitism over the course of his career. The most high-profile incident took place in 2006 when a LAPD officer stated that the actor shouted a remark at him during an arrest. Gibson purportedly said that “the Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world.” The Braveheart actor later apologized to the officer and issued a statement in which he expressed his regrets. While speaking with Page Six, Joshua Malina doubled down on his belief that Whoopi Goldberg’s thoughts are not similar to Gibson’s:
I didn’t hear what Whoopi said and thought, ‘That’s an anti-Semite. That’s someone that doesn’t like Jews.’ I just thought she was off.
Since the Oscar winner’s suspension from The View, notable people like Gina Carano have spoken out on the development. The Mandalorian alum recalled her own Holocaust-related sentiments, which led to her removal from Lucasfilm, and seemed to offer up a suggestion regarding how Whoopi Goldberg could handle her own situation. Goldberg’s former co-panelist, Meghan McCain, also chimed in, saying that she was not calling for her former colleague to be fired. She did, however, double down on her belief that there’s a double standard when it comes to the talk show’s liberal and conservative-leaning pundits.
ABC has yet to announce further information regarding Whoopi Goldberg’s future with the network, as of this writing. Presently, she is serving out the remainder of her suspension.
The View airs weekdays at 11 p.m. ET on ABC.
