The View

Bill Maher went in hard Friday night, using Whoopi Goldberg as an example of how America has become a hateful, spiteful country that celebrates a misinformed view of karma.

The 'Real Time' host railed on the concept of karma, saying it's bulls*** to begin with -- no such thing -- but the lore of karma was actually a positive, zen-type thing, but we've made it a thing of revenge.

Bill's phone was filled with texts after Whoopi was suspended, with friends telling him how happy they were that karma hit her hard. Bill lashed out at his buds, saying yeah, Whoopi has gone after him for his views on COVID and other stuff, but that's called free speech.

He also says she's wrong on COVID and was wrong when she talked about race -- the thing that got her benched for 2 weeks -- but that's called disagreement. As he says, she has a right to speak, and the cure for misinformed speech is more speech. And, as he hilariously mused, Whoopi has a rock-solid defense -- "F*** it, it's 11 AM!"

As Bill puts it, "The View" suspending Whoopi for her views is like firing Pat Sajak for selling a vowel.

Now here's an idea ... filming "The View" at the Museum of Tolerance to show support for the Jewish community and educate viewers about the Holocaust.

Rabbi Abraham Cooper from the famed Simon Wiesenthal Center in L.A. tells TMZ ... he'd love to have the show air live at the Museum of Tolerance. He thinks a special week-long visit to the Museum -- which focuses on the Holocaust -- would be enlightening, and he thinks given what was said on the show, the network has to show some accountability.

Ok, let's back this up for a minute. Rabbi Cooper thinks it's absurd to even suggest Whoopi Goldberg is anti-Semitic. She's been a tried-and-true friend of the Jewish community for decades.

That said, the Rabbi thinks her comment that the Holocaust was not racially-based was way out of bounds, and since she said it on the show ... the show should take steps to educate the audience.

It's an interesting take ... especially since the Prez of ABC News came out and proclaimed her network was a big supporter of the Jewish community.

Rabbi Cooper also has an opinion about Whoopi's 2-week suspension -- an opinion that is at odds with many others in the Jewish community. He thinks the suspension is appropriate, because he thinks accountability is important.

The head of the Anti-Defamation League and many others beg to differ, saying Whoopi apologized, recognized the error in her ways, and that should be the end of it.

Fact is ... lots of people think this is ABC reacting out of fear -- since Sharon Osbourne was suspended for defending Piers Morgan's take on Meghan Markle, ABC felt it had to do the same with Whoopi.

There's another way of looking at it ... that both Whoopi and Sharon shouldn't be suspended for stating their opinions on live, opinion-based TV. If neither said what they said from a place of malice, then why the suspensions? In Whoopi's case, she actually gave a mea culpa, so it's unclear exactly what the ABC President expects her to reflect on.

Cooper says one of his colleagues has a relationship with Whoopi, and they've reached out to her for a meeting. Since Whoopi seems to already get what she did, it's unclear what the point of the meeting would be.

Anthony Anderson is sticking behind Whoopi Goldberg ... he says we all make mistakes and should be forgiven.

We caught up with the "Black-ish" star at The Dominick Hotel in NYC. Anthony says ... he only read Whoopi's comments, so he doesn't know the full context. But, he says he doesn't believe they came from a bad place.

Anthony added ... we all say things in the heat of the moment that we aren't fully informed about. He doubled down and said that as long a person can admit to being wrong and apologize, then he thinks that's fine ... something he says WG has done.

Anthony says these kinda things happen to us all ... for the most part, we come from a place of love and understanding.

As you know, Whoopi's been in the hot seat since she said that the Holocaust wasn't about race ... She has since apologized but ABC still decided to suspend her from "The View" for 2 weeks.

Whoopi Goldberg’s suspension is unnecessary, because she’s already made good with the community she offended -- so says AOC, anyway.

The New York congresswoman gave us her take on the controversy Wednesday in D.C., saying this was a learning moment ... and suggesting WG had, indeed, learned her lesson.

Check it out ... she says in situations like these, context matters -- and in Whoopi’s case, Rep. Ocasio-Cortez says it’s clear she’s got a good track record with the Jewish people -- who were in the crosshairs of her controversial comments about the Holocaust.

In her mind, that’s pretty evident in the fact the CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, Jonathan Greenblatt, accepted Whoopi’s apology -- especially after he was invited on to explain why her take was misinformed.

Just a refresher ... Whoopi said the Holocaust wasn’t about race because a majority of the Jews who were killed were white. However, as many people have since explained ... the Nazis viewed and treated the Jews as an inferior race -- and carried out the Holocaust with an ethnic focus. So, yes ... the Jews are seen as a race in this context, even if it isn’t something you can check off on a census form in 2022.

Like we said, Whoopi saw the error in her thinking and delivered a mea culpa Tuesday -- yet she was suspended by ABC anyway, a decision that’s drawing a lot of criticism.

Whoopi Goldberg's comments about race and the Holocaust just got her benched.

ABC Prez Kim Godwin just announced, "Effectively immediately, I am suspending Whoopi Goldberg for two weeks for her wrong and hurtful comments. While Whoopi has apologized, I've asked her to take time to reflect and learn about the impact of her comments."

She went on ... "The entire ABC News organization stands in solidarity with our Jewish colleagues, friends, family and communities."

Whoopi got in trouble on the show Monday, when she said, "Let’s be truthful about it because Holocaust isn’t about race. It’s not about race. It’s not about race. It’s about man’s inhumanity to man."

Ana Navarro challenged Whoopi, arguing ... "But it’s about white supremacists going after Jews."

Whoopi's response ... "But these are two white groups of people. The minute you turn it into race it goes down this alley. Let’s talk about it for what it is. It’s how people treat each other. It doesn’t matter if you’re Black or white, Jews, it’s each other."

She tried a make-good Tuesday, saying ... "Yesterday on the show I misspoke. [The Holocaust] is indeed about race, because Hitler and the Nazis considered the Jews to be an inferior race. Now, words matter, and mine are no exception. I regret my comments and I stand corrected. I also stand with the Jewish people."

It'll be interesting to see how the suspension impacts live, opinion-based TV shows.

Maya Angelou's son is applauding Whoopi Goldberg for fighting to get his famous mother on paper money ... and he wants Ida B. Wells to get the next honor.

Here's the deal ... the U.S. Mint is now circulating an Angelou quarter, but Whoopi used her "View" platform, pushing to honor Black women with paper money instead of just coins.

Maya's son, Guy Johnson, tells TMZ ... he's grateful his mother is being featured on the quarter, and while he understands others are beating the drum to get her on the $20 bill, he's reminding folks change is almost always incremental.

Guy admits he would have loved to see his mother on the $10 bill, or the $20 or the $100 ... but he says America is only a couple years post-Trump ... and Maya would still see her quarter as a wonderful honor.

Maya's son says the famous poet would have this message ... keep pressing forward, because there's a path to go before justice is applied equally in America.

Whoopi mentioned the ongoing battle to get Harriet Tubman on the 20, and Guy says Ida B. Wells should get her proper due with recognition on paper money as well.

Guy says he approved the final image -- showing Maya spreading her arms with a bird, a nod to her famous "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings."

Joy Behar has some advice for those struggling to share both their sexual orientation and political beliefs this year at Thanksgiving with the family ... just come out!

During Wednesday's episode of "The View" Whoopi Goldberg posed the question of the best way to avoid talking politics during this year's celebrations. While the cast believes politics might not be as controversial as year's before ... Behar had some other advice.

The host said, "Come out, just come out ... see what happens."

Not exactly sure what she meant, a confused Whoopi asked, "Come out ... of the door?"

But, Behar didn't mince words, saying, "Come out gay. Be yourself ... life is short." She continues, "Don't let anybody tell you what you have to be in this life."

While Joy's intentions were clearly positive, some certainly felt she missed just how difficult it can be for people to come out ... especially in non-accepting families.

One Twitter user wrote, "hey Joy I have a transgender son and am so proud of him however most parents are not like me some will resort to violence just because their child is gay so please don't tell people to come out just to see what happens that can be disastrous."

Another said, "It's incredibly dangerous to be telling people to come out to their families just to 'see what happens.' Many of our fellow community members face real threats to their lives if they come out to family."

Meghan McCain is pissing off some of her old bosses with her scathing assessment of her tortured time on "The View" -- because they believe it's the exact opposite of how she's framing things.

Sources close to the production tell TMZ ... ABC honchos are furious about Meghan's new memoir, and the subsequent interviews she's recently done -- characterizing "The View" as a toxic work environment, full of coworkers/cohosts who despised her.

We're told there are many points of dissent -- for instance, ABC execs say the notion Meghan left on her own volition is wrong, and ditto for her claim everybody except her was oozing toxicity.

Our sources tell us Meghan was essentially forced out of her role after an internal investigation into the environment she describes -- which we're told was, in fact, real ... but mostly due to Meghan's behavior on and off camera, not her coworkers' -- other way around.

Our sources say new ABC chief, Kim Godwin, did a thorough investigation -- meeting with key stakeholders of the show, like talent and producers -- and in the end, we're told she found Meghan was the source of a lot of the in-fighting that ultimately played out on the show ... something Godwin had to address head-on in an emergency Zoom meeting.

Those on-camera blow-ups are well-documented, and even though a lot of the hosts are often seen bickering ... we're told many at ABC feel Meghan was, more often than not, the instigator of these arguments -- or she was the one who kept them going longer.

We should say, however, there are some execs at ABC who have confided in TMZ, telling us the environment was hostile and the bullying is what led to McCain's exit ... so clearly, not all honchos feel the same way.

As for her departure ... our sources didn't have details on the negotiations behind the exit, but we're told the bottom line is it wasn't simply her decision after hitting a breaking point. The network was ready to move on too.

Of course, we're told this was a long time coming ... as many at ABC apparently felt the old boss, James Goldston, didn't have the stones to give MM the boot earlier, because he allegedly feared a conservative backlash.

Now that Meghan's gone ... our sources say the mood on set is way better, and people at home can see it for themselves. The temperature in the room, we're told, has lowered. Not just that, but the ratings are steady ... with the show remaining #1 on daytime TV.

Barbara Corcoran is NOT persona non grata at 'The View' -- because Whoopi Goldberg is already past the fat joke BC cracked at her expense ... saying it's water under the bridge.

We got the comic and talk show host Monday leaving ABC Studios in NYC, and just had to ask where things stood between her and her old 'Shark Tank' pal ... who got a little out of pocket last week in taking a crack a Whoopi's weight.

Watch Whoopi's reaction when he asked her about the incident ... she legit looks like she doesn't even remember it, which reflects how she feels about it -- literally, NBD.

Now, for the why ... Whoopi explains to us that Barbara has a unique sense of humor as it is -- see her funeral birthday thing as exhibit A -- and that she really didn't take offense to it all.

There's also the history between them, which WG also touches on -- saying their friendship of 20-plus years isn't going to crumble over a little quip like that ... especially since Barbara fully apologized for it right afterward. And, yes -- that means Barb isn't banned by any stretch.

Sounds like people made a bigger issue out of it than it actually was to Whoopi herself -- who, BTW, tells us she's feeling pretty good these days. Well enough to be "up," anyway.

Barbara Corcoran and Whoopi Goldberg together provided a cringe moment on "The View" ... the result of a fat joke Barbara lobbed at Whoopi.

Ya gotta see the video ... the roundtable discussion starts innocently enough, with the hosts and some 'Shark Tank' stars talking about new jeans, but it gets super awkward when Barbara chimes in and tries to get a laugh.

Whoopi's asking if the jeans in question will fit her COVID butt, and that's when Barbara says ... "and when you get finished with those jeans and decide you don't like them, give them to me, I'm going to make 2 pairs." 😲

Barbara did NOT stick the landing, and the joke fell totally flat. Whoopi immediately looked pretty pissed, and the rest of her 'View' co-hosts weren't too happy either.

It's a super awkward interaction ... but Ana Navarro had Whoopi's back, and clapped back at Barbara with a major fashion diss.

Ooohh, the backstage convos that must've gone down!!!

Full panic at "The View" Friday morning, as 2 of its co-hosts tested positive for COVID-19 just as VP Kamala Harris was set to appear on the set with them.

During a commercial break on Friday's show, co-hosts Sunny Hostin and Ana Navarro were told they had to leave the stage. Joy Behar later announced Sunny and Ana had to leave because they'd tested positive for COVID-19.

You can see there's a bit of confusion as to whether Joy should still announce Kamala on the show. A producer's heard saying yes before someone shouts "no."

Harris still appeared on the show, but had to do so remotely. She was still in the building, and did the interview from her green room. Safety first, of course.

As for Sunny and Ana ... no one on set seems too concerned about their breakthrough cases. Joy intimated they'll be fine, because they're both vaccinated "up the wazoo."

The news is a bit of a bummer for the live audience members who came to see Harris. The show heavily promoted her appearance ... saying Harris would be live at the table, an historic event for the show to have a sitting Veep.

Meghan McCain's vacant seat on "The View" will be filled by another strong, conservative woman, but they're also in no hurry to make the decision ... sources close to the talk show tell TMZ.

As we reported ... Meghan announced she was leaving "The View" on July 1 following a series of nasty exchanges with her cohosts, though she said the official reason was wanting to be in D.C. with her family.

Regardless, her departure leaves a huge hole as far as -- to state the obvious -- the views offered on the show. For that reason, our production sources say they're searching for someone like McCain -- a Republican or conservative -- to replace her, but no names have been officially proposed yet.

Instead, we're told the plan is to rotate guests once Meghan is out at the end of the month, and for the start of the new season in September ... and take their time finding a permanent replacement.

Our sources say it's obviously very important to find the right woman ... so producers want to test chemistry between the guests and the regular cohosts.

Sara Haines says "The View" should replace Meghan McCain with someone who shares her views ... i.e. another conservative.

We got "The View" cohost leaving Thursday's taping in NYC just moments after Meghan announced she's leaving the show after 4 seasons. Sara, who BTW has great fashion taste, tells us it's her hope the show adds another panelist who brings diverse opinions.

She says the reason is simple ... despite the name of the show in the singular ... it's best when it represents different views, although Meghan was the lone, conservative wolf.

What's more ... Sara says the so-called bad blood between Meghan and the other cohosts is not why she's bouncing. Simply put ... Sara says the pandemic made Meghan re-assess what matters to her right now ... and it's being in D.C. full time with her baby girl. Production sources tell TMZ ... the arguments that became super personal did take their toll on her.

Meghan McCain is leaving "The View," and the reason why is absolutely because of a series of nasty back-and-forths with her cohosts ... TMZ has confirmed.

Sources tell TMZ ... Meghan felt it was too hard for her being the only conservative voice on the show and it had become too challenging, as she felt she was getting ganged up on every day.

We're told McCain will address her departure Thursday on the show. It's unclear exactly what reason she'll give the audience for her departure, but make no mistake ... it's about the politics. Remember, she gave birth to a daughter back in September, so it's possible she may also mention wanting to spend more time with her baby girl.

The news comes a little over a month after Meghan and Joy Behar's last major on-air blowup -- the one that prompted ABC News President Kim Godwin to step in and call a last-minute meeting demanding all of the 'View' cohosts chill with personal attacks.

Our sources at the time also said ABC was getting flooded with pleas to fire Meghan over her latest tantrum and attacks on Joy ... which is what sparked the virtual meeting.

We were also told Godwin told the staff their personal attacks are coming off as toxic to the audience. The issue, we were told, weren't the debates ... but the attacks between the cohosts.

This is the latest shakeup in daytime talk shows. Remember, their competition over at "The Talk" just had to blow up their show, firing Sharon Osbourne after her very personal on-air battle with Sheryl Underwood.

Meghan McCain and Joy Behar's latest on-air blowup is prompting the new "sheriff" at ABC to step in and demand all of the 'View' co-hosts cool it with their personal attacks.

Production sources tell TMZ ... following Monday's heated exchange between Meghan and Joy over anti-Semitism, ABC News President Kim Godwin called a last-minute meeting with 'View' talent and producers, trying to improve the culture behind the scenes at the show.

We're told ABC was getting flooded with pleas to fire Meghan over her latest tantrum and attacks on Joy, and that's what sparked the virtual meeting.

Our sources say Godwin -- who just took the helm at ABC earlier this month -- told everyone things are getting too personal on TV lately, not with the issues they're debating ... but with the attacks between co-hosts.

Godwin told everyone it's coming off as toxic to the audience, and it's not the direction she wants for the show.

Remember, their competition over at "The Talk" just had to blow up their show, firing Sharon Osbourne after her very personal on-air battle with Sheryl Underwood -- however, we're told Godwin didn't mention CBS specifically.

It sounds like her message was not well received by MM, though -- we're told she stormed out of the meeting before it ended because she felt like she was being "attacked."

Bubba Wallace confirms he has already been interviewed by the FBI as part of its investigation into the noose incident ... and he's blasting people who think it was all a hoax.

The NASCAR driver appeared on "The View" on Tuesday -- one day after an inspiring performance at Talladega -- and was asked how he felt about theories the noose was "staged" by NASCAR to garner more support for the Confederate flag ban.

"It offends me that people would go to those measures but again, I'm not shocked," Wallace said.

"People are entitled to their own opinions to make them feel good and help them sleep at night."

Bubba says law enforcement is all over the case -- "I can now say I've talked to the FBI ... never thought that would happen!"

As we previously reported, Al Sharpton is concerned investigators are dragging their feet ... and he's demanding answers ASAP.

As for the emotional displays of solidarity at Talladega on Monday -- when all of the competing drivers rallied behind Bubba's car -- Wallace says he was truly moved by the support.

"Every time I watch that video I get emotional and get chills," Wallace said.