Whoopi Goldberg Falls Ill, Misses ‘The View’ Season Premiere

Whoopi Goldberg missed The View season premiere, after falling ill. TV Line reports that Goldberg tested positive for the coronavirus, causing her to miss the show. Co-panelist Joy Behar filled in as moderator, and let viewers know that Goldberg was getting better and would likely be back soon.

“As you can see, Whoopi is not here. She has COVID,” Behar shared. “Yes, it’s back. It’s back! But she’s on the mend. She’s on the tail end, and she’ll probably be back this week. But sorry she’s not here, for those of you who were looking forward to seeing her.”

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The View kicked off Season 27 on Monday, and viewers will notice that it now has a distinctively brand new look. Entertainment Weekly previously reported that, while the panelists remain the same, the set around them has changied. The ladies of The View have a whole new studio look, including a brand new table. Many fans have since commented on the show’s return, with one tweeting, “Weeks and weeks of unbelievable news and happenings without The View has been torture!!! Glad you’re back.”

The morning show’s return comes after it was announced in August that all six current panelists would return when the show resumes filming. Behar, Sunny Hostin, Sara Haines, Alyssa Farah Griffin, and Ana Navarro are all back, with Goldberg once again serving as the panel’s moderator, when she returns, that is. Notably, The View was off the air for most of August. Previously, The Wrap reported that The View panelists are off on their regularly scheduled summer break, after concluding Season 26 of the ABC daytime talk show on Friday, August 4. Some fans might have been under the impression that the show was absent due to the WGA/SAG-AFTRA strike, but that is not the case.

Previously, The View Goldberg clarified that the show would continue amidst the strike since it “operates under the network code, which is a different contract than the one currently trying to be renegotiated,” per The Wrap. Notably, back in May, Whoopi informed viewers that they would “hear how it would be when it’s not, you know, slicked up.” She also stated that the show would not be stopping for the strike “because we want to keep everybody employed, and we want to do our best, and we support our writers ’cause we know what they’re going through.”