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Credit: Screenshot, 'The View', ABCFor almost 20 years, Whoopi Goldberg has been one of the most notable cohosts on ABC’s hit show The View. The outspoken actress has never been one to shy away from her opinions, and she will go head-to-head with her cohosts to defend her beliefs.
That sometimes hardheaded attitude has gotten her into trouble in the past. In 2015, she vigorously defended actor Bill Cosby, when he was accused of drugging and raping multiple women. She then changed her tune when all the evidence against him was made public.
She also said that the statute of limitations on rape allegations needed to be removed when she learned that was the reason he was not being prosecuted for many of the rapes.
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Then, in 2022, the Sister Act (1992) star shocked and angered viewers when she claimed that the Holocaust was not about race, but was instead about “man’s inhumanity to man.” She then appeared to double down on those comments.
Goldberg was suspended from The View for two weeks following those comments, and when she returned, she apologized for the things that she had said. She said that during her time away, she had been educated about the Holocaust and learned that Jewish people are considered a race of people, not just a religious group.
Related: Whoopi Goldberg Slams Hit ABC Show For Casting a Convicted Felon, Felon Fights Back
And now, the actress has found herself at the center of another controversy — this time, one involving her birthday and a New York bakery.
On November 13, the women of The View — Joy Behar, Sunny Hostin, Sarah Haines, Alyssa Farah Griffin, and Ana Navarro — celebrated Goldberg’s 69th birthday. During the celebration, a platter of Charlotte Russe desserts was brought out. Charlotte Russe is a sponge cake filled with jelly and Bavarian cream, topped with whipped cream and a cherry.
When the ladies were about to enjoy the sweet treat, Goldberg claimed that the bakery she had first reached out to had refused to make them for her.
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Goldberg said that the bakery told her that their ovens had gone down, but then said that other customers were getting their orders. She felt the bakery had discriminated against her because of her political beliefs.
“Now, I should tell you, Charlotte Russe has no political leanings, and the place that made these refused to make them for me. They said that their ovens had gone down, but folks went and got them anyway, which is why I’m not telling you who made them.”
“It’s not because I’m a woman, but perhaps they did not like my politics. But that’s OK because you know what? Listen, this is my mother’s celebration. Pick these up and celebrate with me and my mom. Thank you, everyone, for celebrating my birthday today.”
While Ms. Goldberg kept her word and did not name the bakery in question, the bakery’s owner publicly said that hers was the one Goldberg had been referring to.
Jill Holtermann, owner of Holtermann’s Bakery, claimed that she never refused to make the iconic dessert for Goldberg’s birthday. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Ms. Holtermann said that Goldberg had ordered the desserts one week in advance, but a boiler issue meant the order could not be completed.
“They’d asked us and we were having trouble with our boilers,” Holtermann says, adding that Goldberg initially requested treats for a Nov. 6 appearance on a talk show, and for the Nov. 13 broadcast of The View — both of which she declined because she “didn’t want to make a commitment that I can’t carry through” over the uncertainty of her equipment. She also confirms that an unidentified woman picked up around 50 Charlotte Russe desserts from the bakery at 7:30 a.m. ET Wednesday morning, which she was able to make — but didn’t want to commit to ahead of time over ongoing boiler issues. She adds that she was not aware of any affiliations that the woman who picked up the desserts on Wednesday morning might have had, with regard to The View or otherwise.
Holtermann says that the building she operates in is nearly 100 years old, so equipment issues sometimes get in the way of fulfilling requests — as it did in the case of Goldberg’s long-range order.
“I said to Whoopi, ‘I can’t do it right now,” she adds. “We have so many things going on with my boiler,’ because the building is from 1930, so, when she called me, I had no idea [if we could] be baking everything.”
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Despite the bakery owner’s claims, Goldberg went on Instagram and doubled down on her original claims. She said that the bakery claimed they couldn’t fulfill the order when she used her own name. However, when someone else called and ordered four dozen of the same dessert, but didn’t use her name, there was no issue with fulfilling the order.
Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella (a Republican) said that Ms. Goldberg owed the bakery — which is located in Staten Island — an apology. He said that Goldberg had “besmirched and defamed” the institution and that not everything is politically motivated.
Do you think Whoopi Goldberg should apologize to the bakery? Or do you think the bakery is not being honest about the situation? Share your thoughts in the comments!