Back in January,Whoopi Goldbergwas caught in a race row after making comments about the Holocaust not being an issue of race. She apologized for those comments live onThe View, but less than a year later and new comments by theSister Actstar have led to her being heavily criticized by the ADL and others once again.Goldberg’s new role sees her playing civil rights activist Mamie Till-Mobley’s mother in the movie Till, and she was recently interviewed forThe Sunday Timesabout the film. During the interview, the subject turned to race, and Goldberg found herself caught in another storm. She said:
“My best friend said, ‘Not for nothing is there no box on the census for the Jewish race. So that leads me to believe that we’re probably not a race.’”
After being reminded that the “Nazis saw Jews as a race,” the star continued to say:
“Yes, but that’s the killer, isn’t it? The oppressor is telling you what you are. Why are you believing them? They’re Nazis. Why believe what they’re saying? It wasn’t originally [about race]. Remember who they were killing first. They were not killing racial; they were killing physical. They were killing people they considered to be mentally defective. And then they made this decision.”
Related:Whoopi Goldberg Blasts Trolls Criticizing Rings of Power & House of the Dragon’s Diverse Casting
Whoopi Goldberg’s Comments Received Instant Backlash Online
The new comments made by Goldberg immediately stirred up the criticism she received at the beginning of the year, with ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt sharing a scathing post on Twitter in response. He wrote:
“Whoopi Goldberg’s comments about the Holocaust and race are deeply offensive and incredibly ignorant. When she made similar comments earlier this year, we explained how the Nazi regime was inherently racist. The Nazis set out to exterminate the Jewish people, whom they viewed as inferior to the mythical ‘Aryan master race.’ They used pseudo-scientific theories of race to justify their anti-Jewish “race laws” and systemic slaughter of millions. It’s no coincidence that white supremacists in the U.S. today echo the Nazis’ “master race” claim as they spread their antisemitic and racist hate. Additionally, Whoopi’s comments show a complete lack of awareness of the multiethnic, multiracial makeup of the Jewish community. She needs to apologize immediately and actually commit to educating herself on the true nature of #antisemitism.”
However, Goldberg released a statement toDeadlineregarding the article to clarify the intention of her comments, denying that she intended to appear to double-down on her previous opinion. She wrote:
“Recently while doing press in London, I was asked about my comments from earlier this year. I tried to convey to the reporter what I had said and why, and attempted to recount that time. It was never my intention to appear as if I was doubling down on hurtful comments, especially after talking with and hearing people like rabbis and old and new friends weighing in. I’m still learning a lot and believe me, I heard everything everyone said to me. I believe that the Holocaust was about race, and I am still as sorry now as I was then that I upset, hurt and angered people. My sincere apologies again, especially to everyone who thought this was a fresh rehash of the subject. I promise it was not. In this time of rising antisemitism, I want to be very clear when I say that I always stood with the Jewish people and always will. My support for them has not wavered and never will.”
To have been caught in such a storm of controversy once is something that it seems could be forgiven, and having publicly apologized, it seemed that the moment had passed and everyone had moved on from Goldberg’s comments earlier this year. Afterreceiving a suspension fromThe Viewfor her previous comments, it is unclear how this latest controversy will pan out.
