Whoopi Goldberg’s health scare this winter was worse than fans may have realized, as she explained upon her return to The View.
Goldberg came back to The View on Thursday, March 14 just in time for some major news to break. She spoke about her health issues, which included pneumonia and sepsis, saying that they nearly took her out.
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“You think you can push through because you have a little cold; you think because you’ve healed before something crazy can’t happen. Well, it can,” the 63-year-old comedian said. “I came very, very close to leaving the Earth.”
But a source close to Goldberg told Closer Weekly about just how much the illnesses affected her this year. Beyond the physical pain of her ordeal, she was reportedly distraught at the sudden danger she found herself in.
“It really shook her up. She’s not ready to go anywhere, so she’s determined to sleep more and do better,” they said.
That includes less tangible changes in her life, the source continued, saying that Goldberg was pursuing some reconciliation.
“She’s made peace with some people and things from her past, too,” they said.
Goldberg is also racheting up her passion for making healthcare affordable in America, the source said, feeling that anyone with fewer means than her could have been devastated by this illness.
“Whoopi has always been grateful. She’s always wanted to be a force for change. Now her activism on behalf of those less fortunate will be at a higher pitch,” said the insider. “The only way it’s going to get better is if I begin,” adds Goldberg, “so this is my beginning.”
Upon her return to The View, Goldberg sent a heartfelt thanks to her colleagues and her viewers for their support and well-wishes through her long winter.
“Thank you for all of your good wishes and all of the wonderful things that people have been saying,” she said. “Even people who are not huge fans of mine have actually said nice things about me. We all know that’s gonna change when I get back but, for right now, it’s brilliant. Thank you for everything.”
Goldberg got back on TV just in time for some serious confrontations on The View. Theshow has tackled the Attorney General’s controversial summary of the Mueller report, dividing its hosts and leading to some real arguments on the air. As always, Goldberg mediated the discussions while also making her feelings clear.
The View airs on weekdays at 11 a.m. ET on ABC.