Actress and comedian Whoopi Goldberg has once again apologized for her remarks on the Holocaust after being called out by Anti-Defamation League (ADL) chief Jonathan Greenblatt on Tuesday.
Goldberg, who co-hosts ABC’s “The View,” was suspended for two weeks earlier this year for saying the Holocaust was not “about race.” She apologized for those comments.
The comments returned to the spotlight this week because of Goldberg’s interview with the London-based newspaper The Sunday Times, in which she said the Holocaust “wasn’t originally” based on race.
In a statement, Greenblatt called out Goldberg for her “offensive” remarks and encouraged her to educate herself “on the true nature of antisemitism and how it was the driving force behind the systemic slaughter of millions.”
In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter (THR) published Tuesday, the 67-year-old actress issued another apology, saying she was trying to convey to the Times reporter her previous remarks on the Holocaust.
“It was never my intention to appear as if I was doubling down on hurtful comments,” especially after “talking with and hearing people like rabbis and old and new friends weighing in,” Goldberg said in her statement to THR.
“I’m still learning a lot and believe me, I heard everything everyone said to me. I believe that the Holocaust was about race, and I am still as sorry now as I was then that I upset, hurt and angered people,” Goldberg added. “My sincere apologies again, especially to everyone who thought this was a fresh rehash of the subject. I promise it was not.”
“In this time of rising antisemitism, I want to be very clear when I say that I always stood with the Jewish people and always will. My support for them has not wavered and never will,” she concluded in her statement.
Goldberg made her latest comments while promoting her new film “Till,” in which she plays civil rights activist Mamie Till-Mobley’s mother.
The remarks sparked renewed backlash on social media and come amid mounting warnings of rising antisemitism.
The White House earlier this month created a new task force to combat antisemitism and religious bigotry following high-profile scandals involving rapper and fashion designer Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, and Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving.
Former President Trump sparked widespread rebuke for hosting Ye, along with white nationalist Nick Fuentes, for dinner at his Florida home last month.
Greenblatt said Goldberg should not apologize “for the ratings” but because “it’s the right thing to do.”
“Failure to address the issue would raise serious questions about her sincerity and solidarity with her Jewish viewers and all those who experience any form of hate,” he said.