Whoopi Goldberg apologises after claiming Holocaust 'isn't about race'

1 February 2022

Whoopi Goldberg has apologised after saying the Holocaust "isn't about race".

Whoopi Goldberg has apologised

The 66-year-old star - who was met with fierce backlash over her comments on Monday's episode (31.01.22) of 'The View' - has offered her "sincerest apologies" for the offence she caused.

Appearing on the show, she said: "Let’s be truthful about it because Holocaust isn’t about race. It’s not about race. It’s not about race. It’s about man’s inhumanity to man...

“These are two white groups of people! The minute you turn it into race it goes down this alley. Let’s talk about it for what it is.

"It’s how people treat each other. It doesn’t matter if you’re Black or white, Jews, it’s each other.”

In a statement shared on social media, Whoopi has now said she "stands corrected".

She wrote: "On today's show, I said the Holocaust 'is not about race, but about man's inhumanity to man'. I should have said it is about both.

"As Jonathan Greenblatt from the Anti-Defamation League shared, 'The Holocaust was about the Nazi's systematic annihilation of the Jewish people - who they deemed to be an inferior race.' I stand corrected.

"The Jewish people around the world have always had my support and that will never waiver. I'm sorry for the hurt I have caused.

"Written with my sincerest apologies, Whoopi Goldberg."

Many people took to social media to criticise Whoopi over her original comments, with David Harris - the CEO of the American Jewish Committee - urging her to "rethink" and apologise.

He tweeted: "Whoopi Goldberg absurdly claims the #Holocaust ‘isn’t about race.’ Nazi Germany considered all Jews a ‘subhuman race.’

"That’s why they wanted to exterminate the entire Jewish people, including my family, & almost succeeded. Please rethink & apologize. (sic)"

And Israeli writer Hen Mazzig added: “Being Jewish means watching white nationalists call for your death because you’re ‘not white’ while ladies on national TV say the Holocaust was ‘white people killing white people…y’all go fight amongst yourselves.’”