Whoopi Goldberg Got Called An ‘Old Broad’ On The View, And Actually Handled It Really Well

whoopi goldberg on the view in january 2023

If there are only a few things that someone knows about long time The View co-host Whoopi Goldberg, at least two of those things would have to be that she’s not afraid to speak her mind and also has a quick wit. Of course, the EGOT winner’s willingness to offer her opinion is one of the attributes that’s made her great on the show over the years, while also leading to her being suspended from ABC’s talk show and sometimes having to come back and clarify her comments on things like the holocaust. But, often it also leads to things like a recent moment when an audience member called her an “old broad” and the Sister Act star handled it perfectly.

As viewers have seen many times, discussions on the long-running daytime series (which was created by the late Barbara Walters) can frequently be a bit wild, as it is a live show. The hosts don’t often get major unsolicited comments from the audience, however this Wednesday’s show was a bit different. After everyone arrived on stage for the beginning of the show (via Entertainment Weekly), they had all just taken their seats to get things rolling, when moderator Goldberg stopped her opening to address a woman sitting near the stage. She then said:

Did you just call me an old broad? Yeah? She said, ‘You old broad,’ and I was like, hey, it’s Wednesday, and I am an old broad, and happy about it. The alternative is not attractive to any of us. We all want to be old broads and old dudes, you know?

The audience member was wearing a mask, and it was clear that no one else on the panel heard what she said, as Goldberg had to explain what happened to both the viewers and her fellow co-hosts. But, as she said, better an “old broad” than the alternative, which is simply dying so young that you don’t even have a shot of being called old. And, you know, no one really wants that.

While this was obviously surprising to the actor/comedian (who recently appealed to former co-star Maggie Smith for her appearance in Sister Act 3) I’m sure a lot of people would take this as a slam, but it’s clear that Goldberg didn’t, which is great, especially considering something she did not long ago.

In early November of last year, the Keke Palmer sex advisor released a book with Dr. M.E. Hecht titled…wait for it…Two Old Broads: Stuff You Need to Know That You Didn’t Know You Needed to Know. The whole point of the book is to give funny and frank advice to older women on how to stay vibrant and active in their golden years, while also learning how to tackle tricky decisions for yourself, like figuring out whether or not you need to hire someone to help you around the house. So, her response to being called an “old broad” isn’t any real surprise.

The co-host might be getting a little tired of her literal seat at The View table, but it sure isn’t stopping her from bringing all her bold “old broad” energy to the show every day.