Here’s Why Whoopi Goldberg Is Absent From ‘The View’

It’s been a year full of surprises for the ladies of The View, and the latest is this: Whoopi Goldberg was unexpectedly absent from Thursday’s (July 11) show due to a positive Covid-19 test result.

Co-host Joy Behar made an announcement at the top of the episode, saying, “You might have noticed Whoopi’s not here because Whoopi has tested positive for Covid.”

“It’s going around still, so you have to be careful,” Behar continued. “It’s a summer surge.”

Goldberg was present throughout the week’s previous episodes, delivering several fiery addresses on the matter of the upcoming presidential election in which she continued to insist that viewers should engage with the process and vote for their own good.

For example, on Wednesday’s show, she said, “There’s a lot at risk [if Trump gets elected]. There’s a lot at risk and young people, old people, doesn’t matter. Your American citizenship is at risk! Your rights as a citizen are at risk! All those women who can get pregnant, who might get pregnant, who want something, your rights are at risk. All those men who maybe feel like this is my lover, this is my husband, this is my man, your rights are at risk. It doesn’t matter your age. It doesn’t matter your color. This is risk time.”

Among the other surprises that have impacted the flow of the show this year have been a fire in the building and an earthquake that hit just before the stars hit the stage for the live show.

The View, Weekdays, 11a/10c, ABC