Whoopi Goldberg, 69, unleashes furious rant at cancel callers as talk show embroiled in 'anti-Trump' bias row

"People always say, 'You should take The View off television.' You know why? Because we give you an opportunity. We don't tell you what to think," Goldberg declared during the March 13 broadcast.

Her comments came at the conclusion of a heated discussion about California Governor Gavin Newsom's recent podcast appearance.

Whoopi Goldberg addressed critics of The View's political 'bias' during Thursday's show

ABC

Goldberg emphasised that the show's value lies in its presentation of diverse viewpoints from its panel of hosts.

"We say, 'This is what I think!' You know, Alyssa will say, 'This is what I think.' Joy says, 'This is what I think,'" she explained, referencing cohosts Alyssa Farrah Griffin and Joy Behar.

The EGOT winner, who has moderated The View since 2007, stressed that this exchange of different perspectives is precisely what creates meaningful dialogue.

"When we do that, that is how you have the dialog," Goldberg stated firmly.

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.@stephenasmith: “Citizens, particularly on the left, are desperate. And I mean it when I say it, I think I could beat ‘em all. I have no desire whatsoever to run for office. I am not a politician.” pic.twitter.com/5Idj50q6pC

Goldberg further claimed that critics often misunderstand the show's purpose and format.

"People assume that we believe whatever they believe that we believe. People believe that they know everything I think and believe, they don't," she explained.

She addressed supposed misconceptions about the hosts representing only one viewpoint.

"We always say that because we have those conversations," Goldberg noted, responding to those who assume the cohosts share identical perspectives.

"One of the ways that you learn what people believe is to hear them talk," she added, emphasising the importance of open dialogue.

Goldberg attempted to draw a clear distinction between sharing opinions and making personal attacks.

"It becomes an awful thing when people become personal about you or your family. See, that's the difference," she stated firmly.

She emphasised that The View hosts avoid such behaviour. "We don't do that here. Other people do it to us and would like to think that that's what we're doing to them, but we're not," Goldberg explained.

She specifically condemned name-calling, adding: "Name-calling is not okay."

The discussion that prompted Goldberg's defence began with the panel debating California Governor Gavin Newsom's podcast appearance with so-called "alt-right" MAGA personality Steve Bannon.

The cohosts expressed varying opinions about Newsom's handling of the interview.

Sara Haines criticised him for not "hitting the right tone" when Bannon made factually incorrect statements.

Sunny Hostin was particularly disappointed, saying: "I think you meet energy with energy, and what he did was show his pretty white teeth and his cute face and did nothing other than that, and I think it's despicable."

Goldberg's stern defence of the show comes just weeks after she was accused of "letting the mask slip" when debating Stephen A Smith about Trump's election win in November.

When Smith said the election results were more of an indictment of the Democrats "losing" rather than Republicans "winning", he challenged Goldberg on her claims about the messages Kamala Harris was promoting.

Whoopi Goldberg has been a vocal opponent of Donald Trump

REUTERS

"You brought up the message that the Democratic Party was disseminating. I’m challenging you on that. That is not what they were doing," Smith said of Goldberg's examples.

In a move that critics have described as showing her bias and pushing an agenda, Goldberg shot back: "Oh, yes, it was. I was here. We did it!"