'The View' Host Whoopi Goldberg Reveals She Almost Died of Pneumonia

Whoopi Goldberg's absence from The View is about as serious as serious can get. The actress [...]

By Libby Birk

Whoopi Goldberg's absence from The View is about as serious as serious can get. The actress revealed on Friday that her bout with pneumonia was so severe that she nearly died.

"Hey, yes, it's me. I am here. I am up and moving around — not as fast as I'd like to be," Goldberg began in a video shared on The View on Friday. "I am OK. I'm not dead."

The 67-year-old said both her lungs were affected by pneumonia.

"I had pneumonia and I was septic. Pneumonia in both lungs, which meant there was fluid there was all kinds of stuff going on," she continued. "And yes, I came very, very close to leaving the earth," she said. "Good news: I didn't."

The Sister Act star, who has been a panelist on ABC talk show since 2007, thanked her fans and critics alike for their support and well wishes.

"Thank you for all of your good wishes, all of the wonderful things people have bee saying. Even people who are not huge fans of mine have actually been saying nice things bout me. We all know that's going to change when I get back, but for now it's brilliant," she joked.

Goldberg, who said she is OK and moving around now, has not appeared in her usual spot as The View moderator since Feb. 6, and reportedly skipped a benefit concert in New York City on Thursday that she was scheduled to co-host with Martin Short.

"Ladies, I cannot wait to see y'all," she added, addressing her fellow panelists. "This has been interesting and I'll tell you about it when we're all at the table. To everybody, see you soon."

Previously, when fans began to question where Goldberg was, co-host Joy Behar revealed Goldberg was sick with pneumonia.

"She's not feeling well," Behar said during the Feb. 20 broadcast. "She's actually recovering from pneumonia. I saw her last night and she's very funny still, and we had big laughs. She's getting there, she's on the mend."

At the time, Behar also debunked the rumor that Goldberg's absence was because she was going to surprise host the Academy Awards broadcast, which was just a few days away.

"There are all these conspiracy theories on the internet that she's not really sick and she's secretly preparing to host the Oscars," Behar said. "She's not even well enough to host this show right now, let alone the Oscars."

The View airs weekdays at 11 a.m. ET on ABC.

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