Whoopi Goldberg says she’s a ‘working person’ draws criticism

• Whoopi Goldberg called herself a “working person” on a recent episode of “The View.”
• The comments have sparked backlash, with some users calling her “out of touch.”
• In 2016, Variety reported that Goldberg’s annual salary on “The View” was between $5 million and $6 million.

Whoopi Goldberg is receiving criticism online for calling herself a “working person” on a recent episode of “The View.”

On Tuesday’s episode of the show, Goldberg and her co-hosts discussed the results of the U.S. presidential election.

Sara Haines, co-host of the show, said people may have supported Donald Trump in the election because he seemed to care for the working class.

“There were millions and millions of people who felt heard,” she said.

Goldberg, 69, said she could identify with their struggle.

“I appreciate that people are having a hard time. So do I,” she said.

“I work for a living. If I had all the money in the world, I wouldn’t be here. I’m a working person, you know, and my child has to feed her family, you know, and my great-granddaughter has to feed her family be fed,” Goldberg continued.

Goldberg’s comments have sparked a backlash online, with some social media users saying she was out of touch.

“These elites are so out of touch,” a TikTok user with more than 650,000 followers wrote in the caption of a video. His response video to Goldberg’s comments has been viewed more than 2.8 million times.

Some people praised her honesty.

“She could never work again and do well. But I like her honesty. If she had any more money, she wouldn’t be on “The View.” I respect that,” media personality Perez Hilton said in a response video to X.

Goldberg has hosted “The View” since 2007. In 2016, Variety reported that her annual salary as host of “The View” was $5 million. to a range of $6 million. Multiple media outlets have reported that her net worth is $60 million, although this figure has not been verified.

This isn’t the first time the EGOT winner has been called out for comments about money.

In an episode of “The View” that aired in November 2023, Goldberg said that young people can’t afford to buy houses because they don’t work hard enough.

“Every generation comes and wants to do better than their parents… every generation,” Goldberg said in the episode. “But I’m sorry if you only want to work four hours, it will be harder for you to get a house,” she added.

A representative for Goldberg did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider sent after regular business hours.

Many Americans feel broke

Goldberg’s comments come as more Americans are struggling financially. In the recent elections, the states with the biggest swing toward Trump were those where wages had fallen and people’s purchasing power had declined.

During his campaign, Trump promised voters that he would lower the cost of living.

“My plan will quickly beat inflation, quickly bring prices down and reignite explosive economic growth,” he said during a speech to the Economic Club of New York. in September.

However, economists previously told BI that its proposals could be inflationary. Raising universal tariffs on goods from China, as Trump has proposed, could pass higher costs on to consumers.

“It’s pretty clear to me that, all else being equal, you’re going to reduce the labor supply very abruptly, and you’re going to have a rise in inflation as a result of a rise in prices,” Wendy Edelberg, an economist, told September to BI.