Her name is Caryn Elaine Johnson, but you know her better by the name Whoopi Goldberg . So what’s the story behind her unique and unusual name?
On Tuesday night’s episode of Andy Cohen’s Bravo live talk show Watch What Happens: Live , Goldberg was asked by a called about the origins of her famous nickname.
“How and when did you get the nickname Whoopi?” the caller asked.
“I’m a farter,” Whoopi admitted. “You know, when you work in the theater, sometimes you do quick changes and you’re running around and sometimes you’re just letting go. And it became, that was the joke: Whoopi [like the Whoopee Cushion].”
“Because I was a farter,” Whoopi said again.
The caller also asked what Whoopi’s real name is. She didn’t give a full answer, but said that Goldberg was a “family name.”
Andy Cohen said, “Thank you for your call. You got a really good answer out of that call!”
The 57-year-old comic and talk show host is well-known for her candor, having joked about having hot flashes on the set of The View , and has even talked openly about previous struggles with drug addiction, reports imnotobsessed .
Watch What Happens: Live airs Sunday through Thursday at 11pm EST on Bravo .
Here’s a clip of Whoopi Goldberg talking about the origin of her famous nickname. Are you surprised by her story? Did you think “Whoopi” was her real name?
