Whoopi Goldberg, who won an Oscar for her work in the 1990 classic Ghost, spoke out on Monday to defend the Academy Awards from those who say that “it’s just a lot of rich people celebrating.”
Denzel Washington & Whoopi Goldberg At The 63rd Academy Awards, 1991 #Oscars [1] pic.twitter.com/mUO9GNxbDV [2]
— Tobi Marshall (@CoededMarshall) March 12, 2023 [3]
Goldberg Defends Oscars
Goldberg launched her defense of the Oscars on “The View” this morning as her co-hosts discussed their thoughts from last night’s show.
“I just want to point out that the Oscars is a celebration of artistry celebrating artistry,” Goldberg said, according to Decider. [4] “It’s not actors patting themselves on the back, it’s the art. Not everybody can do what actors do or what people who write music for movies or people who make the costumes. It’s an art form.”
Goldberg went on to say that while they “don’t always get it right,” they are “heading in the right direction” by hosting award shows like the Oscars.
“So the next time you hear somebody say, ‘Oh, it’s just a lot of rich people celebrating,’ remember what you saw last night,” Goldberg continued. “It wasn’t a lot of rich people celebrating. It was a lot of actors who got to the pinnacle of where we feel we can go. That is a great thing.”
Goldberg’s co-host Sunny Hostin chimed in to add that the former Sister Act star has always told her that being a “working actor” doesn’t necessarily mean that one will find fame and fortune.
“If you love what you do, it’s really nice to be celebrated for it,” Goldberg said as she doubled down. “But when you love what you do and you’ve never seen anyone in the room who looks like you, you kind of go, ‘Well, aren’t we good enough?’ Well the answer is, ‘Yeah, we are.’”
Check out Goldberg’s full comments on this in the video bellow.
HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE 95TH ACADEMY AWARDS: #TheView [5] co-hosts weigh in on the standout moments from the 95th Academy Awards where the film 'Everything Everywhere All at Once' took home seven #Oscars [1]! https://t.co/cVclFZQU98 [6] pic.twitter.com/IcInbLIlB1 [7]
— The View (@TheView) March 13, 2023 [8]
Related: Whoopi Goldberg Starting To Crack – Admits She’s ‘In Trouble’ As Calls Grow For Her To Be Fired From ‘The View’ [9]
Goldberg Attacks Oscars
This comes weeks after Goldberg slammed the Oscars for having no female nominees for Best Director.
“There were several movies not nominated who were directed by women of all colors,” Goldberg said, according to The Mirror [10], going on to add with sarcasm, “I say that with a smile on my face, I’m not upset.”
Guest Elizabeth Banks, who recently directed the movie Cocaine Bear, replied by saying, “The statistics are not great. All I can do is lead by example, that’s all I’m trying to do.”
HOW WILL THE OSCARS ADDRESS 'THE SLAP'? After Will Smith is reportedly very upset about the way Chris Rock came for him in his stand-up special, #TheView [5] co-hosts weigh in on how much producers should reference it this Sunday. https://t.co/cVclFZQmjA [11] pic.twitter.com/s8RG4OQZTO [12]
— The View (@TheView) March 10, 2023 [13]
Related: Whoopi Goldberg Turns On ABC – Calls Out Her Own Network On ‘The View’ [14]
Goldberg’s Oscar Confession
Despite having so much respect for the Oscars, Goldberg has admitted that she was high when she accepted her own Best Supporting Actress Oscar for Ghost. Best Life Online [15] reported that Goldberg once confessed that she “smoked this wonderful joint that was the last of [her] homegrown” right before the ceremony.
“Honey, when [Denzel Washington] said my name and I popped up, I was like, ‘Oh, [expletive], oh, [expletive]. Up the stairs one-two-three-four-five, around to the podium. [Gasps.] There’s millions of people, okay, grab the statue, get the statue,'” Goldberg recalled. “I knew I should have never had done it.”
“My mother called me and she said, ‘You smoked, didn’t you?'” she added.
Ghost is now on Netflix and Whoopi Goldberg's iconic, Oscar-winning performance is every bit as good as you remember pic.twitter.com/5qWTGkIdBx [16]
— Netflix (@netflix) October 1, 2021 [17]
Goldberg can defend the Oscars all that she wants to, but they have never been less relevant than they are now. In the end, Americans have just had enough of watching the liberal elites of Hollywood pat themselves on the back.