Last month, we reported that Whoopi Goldberg repeatedly slapped her The View co-host Sara Haines on live television. Now, Haines is speaking out to explain this slapping incident.
Goldberg’s Slapping Incident
The bizarre slapping exchange occurred on the April 23 episode of The View while the hosts were interviewing the Running Point stars Justin Theroux and Kate Hudson.
At one point, Haines reached over and slapped Goldberg in the arm to acknowledge a point that Theroux had made. This didn’t sit well with Goldberg, who immediately reacted by slapping Haines back. Haines slapped Goldberg again, prompting the former Sister Act star to slap her yet another time.
Haines, 48, and Goldberg, 70, continued to slap each other for the next few seconds. Theroux was visibly baffled by the two women slapping each other over and over.
“Why are we all hitting each other?” a confused Theroux asked.
The camera then cut to Goldberg, who was not laughing about the exchange. Instead, she looked visibly annoyed by Haines. This made it clear that she didn’t like her slapping her arm in the first place.
Check out the full bizarre exchange for yourself here.
Haines Explains Slapping Incident
While appearing on The View’s companion Behind the Table podcast, Haines addressed the uncomfortable slapping incident. She began by saying that “the only reason, one, it got any headlines is Whoopi Goldberg is involved. Two, usually I’m the only one slapping Whoopi. Whoopi doesn’t hit back, normally.”
The View producer Brian Teta, however, was not having any of that.
“We do have to talk to you about keeping your hands to yourself in general,” Teta said.
“I know, I’m a feeler,” Haines replied. “Usually, those moments, and they happen a lot off camera.”
Haines went on to say that she has a lot of admiration for Goldberg, given the former Ghost star’s status as a pop culture icon. Indeed, Haines marvels that she actually “gets to sit less than a foot from an EGOT, an icon, a legend” every day on the show.
Haines Doubles Down
As for the slapping incident itself, Haines explained that Theroux “said something, and it was something Whoopi had said” in the past. That’s why she “hit Whoopi like, ‘See!’ And she jokingly hit back.”
Haines added that she’s seen similar moments unfold as “a bit with her and Joy [Behar]. So I just hit her back again, then she did, and I thought, who’s going to be the bigger person here? No, it was literally like love taps!”
This still did not sit well with Teta, who responded by scolding Haines.
“So, in the middle of Justin Theroux and Kate Hudson’s interview, the two of you are acting like 2-years-olds, slapping each other?” the producer asked.
Haines tried to defend herself once again by claiming that The View reflects “who we are” because they’re not scripted during the conversations that they have on the program.
“Commercial blends into show, blends into commercial, blends into weekend,” Haines concluded. “We don’t stop, and sometimes that drives Whoopi crazy, too, because we’ll be yapping on the side while she’s trying to do her intros.”
We can certainly understand Teta’s frustration at the unprofessionalism that was displayed by both Haines and Goldberg. If that slapping incident is really reflective of who they are, as Haines implied, perhaps Teta should think twice about allowing her and Goldberg to be on his show moving forward.