‘The View’ Host Joy Behar Shuts Down Rumors That Whoopi Goldberg Is Hosting 2019 Oscars
Sorry, Whoopi Goldberg fans — the actress isn’t likely to be hosting the Oscars this year.
Rumors this week suggested that Goldberg would appear as a surprise at the 2019 Academy Awards on Sunday in order to take over the hosting role, one which is infamously vacant for the first time in 30 years. However, Goldberg’s co-host on daytime talk show The View set the record straight during Wednesday’s episode. Unfortunately, Goldberg is not working at the moment. She is recovering from an illness.
The 63-year-old Sister Act star has been absent from The View for several weeks as she battles pneumonia, E! News reported.
“Whoopi is still out. She’s not feeling well and there are all these conspiracy theories on the internet that she’s not really sick. She’s secretly preparing to host the Oscars,” Behar explained on Wednesday morning. “Let me just set the record straight right now, okay? Whoopi is on maternity leave. I’m sorry. It was a miracle.”
Behar was only kidding, of course. She continued on to explain that Goldberg really is in recovery from pneumonia.
“It’s a serious thing. I don’t think she’s going to be able to host the Oscars and I’m sure she’s very disappointed. She’s not really even well enough to host this show right now much less the Oscars,” the host said, adding that everyone at The View misses Goldberg.
Health update: Why Whoopi Goldberg has been absent from #TheView since early February: https://t.co/eilWubJecQ pic.twitter.com/yr0wtDxH4N
— ExtraTV (@extratv) February 20, 2019
In addition to Behar, a representative from ABC also stated that the conspiracy theory is “absolutely false,” according to TV Line.
The theory reportedly began with actor Peter Knegt, who tweeted on Tuesday that Goldberg’s sudden absence from The View is odd when coupled with the fact that she recently said she would be up for hosting the awards show. Moreover, Goldberg is well-versed in hosting the Oscars, as she has taken on the job four times already.
Fans of the theory also noted that Vanity Fair, which is closely tied to the Academy Awards, shared a video of Goldberg’s 1999 hosting efforts to Twitter earlier this week — without explanation.
The actress made Oscars history as the first solo host in 1994, the Guardian reported. It would seem only natural that ABC would turn to Goldberg in their time of need.
The Oscars are slated to go without a host for the first time since 1989 following Kevin Hart’s controversy in December. The network reportedly struggled to find a willing host after Hart dropped out.
As the Inquisitr previously reported, ABC Entertainment confirmed in early February that the awards show will not have a single emcee on Sunday, February 24. Instead, several presenters will collectively act as the “hosts.”
