Whoopi Goldberg under fire again, this time for claiming bakery 'refused' to fill her order 'perhaps' due to her 'politics'

3 days ago 16

Whoopi Goldberg, an outspoken — and well compensated — co-host of left-wing talk show "The View," was called woefully out of touch with the struggles of everyday Americans after saying on air last week that "I appreciate that people are having a hard time. Me too. I work for a living."

Goldberg — whose 2016 contract extension with "The View" reportedly was in the $5 to $6 million range — added that "if I had all the money in the world, I would not be here, OK? So I'm a working person, you know? ... I know it's hard out there."

'Not everybody wakes up every day thinking about politics. A good businessperson doesn’t care about anyone’s politics.'

As it turns out, that controversy seems minor compared to what Goldberg also whipped up on the show last week.

Goldberg celebrated her 69th birthday Wednesday on "The View" by sharing a tray of Charlotte Russe sponge cakes — and added that "the place that made these refused to make them for me," the Associated Press reported. “They said that their ovens had gone down ... but folks went and got them anyway, which is why I’m not telling you who made them.”

She also said, “It’s not because I’m a woman, but perhaps they did not like my politics," the AP noted.

Goldberg is a well-known, unabashed leftist. During the first episode of "The View" after President-elect Donald Trump's victory over Democrat Kamala Harris earlier this month, Goldberg — sitting at the show's table with her co-hosts, some of whom were dressed in black as if for a funeral — acknowledged that Trump is "now the president" but then declared: "I'm still not gonna say his name."

Jill Holtermann — owner of Holtermann’s Bakery, a 145-year-old dessert institution on Staten Island, New York — confirmed that Goldberg was talking about her establishment on "The View," the AP reported. But Holtermann said Goldberg's order wasn't filled due to equipment issues, not because of politics, the outlet noted.

Goldberg in a follow-up Instagram video doubled down, saying that “it does seem a little odd that when we called a few weeks before my birthday, and we were told they couldn’t process the order for my birthday because of an equipment failure, but somehow they were able to accept an order of a different 48 of the same dessert when somebody else called without using my name.”

The New York Times, citing an individual familiar with both pastry orders, reported that the bakery accepted the same order "a few days later" when it was placed without saying it was for Goldberg.

However, Republican Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella — without mentioning Goldberg's name — said during a Friday news conference that she “besmirched and defamed” the bakery by “making stuff up to suit their needs," the AP reported.

“Not everybody wakes up every day thinking about politics,” he added, according to the outlet. “A good businessperson doesn’t care about anyone’s politics.”

Fossella said the bakery’s decades-old boiler had malfunctioned and had to be replaced, so the store didn’t want to commit to making a large order it couldn’t fill, the AP reported, adding that he suggested, “Just say you’re sorry so we can put this behind us."

'Goldberg and ABC would be wise to apologize on the air to the bakery on Monday.'

Holtermann during the same news conference said her bakery has been flooded with orders since the dust-up went public — and that she's thankful for the support, the outlet noted.

“I know how hard my family has worked to keep this business alive,” she said, according to the AP. “I wish my father was here today to see this.”

You can check out a short video report here about the controversy.

Representatives for Goldberg didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment Saturday, the outlet noted.

Jonathan Turley — the Shapiro Professor of Public Interest Law at George Washington University — wrote a Sunday op-ed for Fox News saying a defamation suit against Goldberg could be a "piece of cake."

"Some have said that the fact that Goldberg did not name Holtermann’s Bakery means she cannot be sued. That is wrong," Turley noted before later adding that "the failure to name a party in an otherwise defamatory context is not a defense to defamation."

Turley also said Goldberg using the word "perhaps" before noting "they did not like my politics" doesn't reduce her statement to "a mere opinion. This is a common misunderstanding. Often, people will say 'in my opinion' and then follow with a defamatory statement. It is not treated as an opinion if it is stated as a fact."

"Goldberg and ABC would be wise to apologize on the air to the bakery on Monday," Turley also wrote.

There was no reported indication that an apology occurred on Monday's episode.

Here's video of the Staten Island news conference defending the bakery: