Whoopi Goldberg Broke Major Disney Rule to Honor Late Mother

Whoopi Goldberg wanted her mother to spend eternity at the happiest place on Earth, and she broke a few rules to do it. Appearing on Late Night with Seth Meyers on July 11, The View co-host revealed that following her mother Emma Harris’ death in 2010, she spread some of her ashes on the It’s a Small World ride at Disneyland.

“No one should do this. Don’t do it,” Goldberg began, before sharing that her “mother loved Disneyland, and so we took her to Disneyland.” The Sister Act star explained, “When I was a kid, the World’s fair was [in New York], and it was the introduction of Small World, and she loved Small World.” Goldberg, who was inducted as a Disney Legend in 2017, said that during the It’s a Small World ride, she would “periodically scoop some of her up” and fake sneeze, passing it off by saying, “‘My god, this cold is getting worse and worse.’”

According to Goldberg, the iconic ride isn’t the only place within the park that she spread her mom’s ashes. The View moderator revealed that when they “got over to the flowers where it says ‘Disneyland’” at the park entrance, she “was like, ‘Oh, look at that,’” and fake sneezed again.

This is not the first time Goldberg has opened up about how she honored her mother. In her recent memoir, Bits and Pieces, the Ghost alum explained, “it was her vision of what human beings should be, these children of the world: all colors, religions, and cultures together. Disney had made it seem possible that all the kids of the world would hold hands in unity.”

“The day Clyde and I took her ashes to Disneyland, it’s possible a lot of her went into the Small World ride, her favorite,” she continued, per Entertainment Weekly. “We were subtle about it, kind of sneezing Ma out here and there when no one was looking. We didn’t get caught.”

According Disney custodians who spoke to The Wall Street Journal in 2018 guests spreading ashes at the park is actually a common occurrence that happens about once a month. However, doing so is strictly prohibited and in defiance of local Anaheim law and Disney rules, with a Disney spokesperson revealing that “this type of behavior is strictly prohibited and unlawful. Guests who attempt to do so will be escorted off property.” When guests spread ashes at the park, guests are told a ride has shut down due to technical difficulties, but the custodial staff explained that a team will be inside doing a HEPA cleanup.

As for Goldberg, she told Meyers that she did ultimately admit to her deeds, explaining that she “wanted to make sure, actually, that I hadn’t done something that was dangerous, ’cause it hadn’t occurred to me, but there’s a reason they don’t want ashes just floating around.”