The View host Whoopi Goldberg is speaking out amid rumors that her former co-star Barbara Walters is in failing health and declining rapidly.
In an interview with Extra TV following The View Season 23 premiere, Goldberg shut down gossip about The View creator’s health amid rampant tabloid rumors that she is near death. Goldberg chuckled slightly as she made it clear that her longtime pal is doing just fine, and she even gave a shout-out to the TV news legend.
“As far I know, she’s fine. I keep reading stuff that she’s crawling across the tundra. That’s not been my experience with her. Hey, B!”
Goldberg’s comments come just a few weeks after Radar Online reported that Walters, 89, is spending her “final days” in a “prison of pain.” A source for the celebrity gossip site alleged that Walters is suffering from advanced dementia and no longer recognizes her famous friends, including Goldberg and the rest of her former View co-stars.
The source alleged that Walters’ dementia is so advanced that she couldn’t recognize Goldberg when she paid her a recent visit. Per the source, the sight of Goldberg sent the “frail” View veteran into a massive screaming fit. Walters retired from The View in 2014 after heading the show for 17 seasons.
Barbara Walters’ dementia has left her ‘very frail’ https://t.co/DvNCAQDbbf pic.twitter.com/zWHUSeEnyu
— Ottawa Sun (@ottawasuncom) August 9, 2019
Goldberg’s confirmation that Walters is doing “fine” comes less than three weeks before her 90 th birthday. Walters, who shares a September 25 birthday with several stars, including Michael Douglas, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Will Smith, and the late Christopher Reeve, has always been big on celebrating her special day. It would be out of character for her not to mark her 90 th birthday milestone with a party.
Five years ago for her 85 th birthday, Walters pulled out all the stops. According to Showbiz 411 , the longtime star of The View threw herself an 85th birthday bash at the famous Rainbow Room in New York City. Sources dished that in addition to a slew of celebrity friends, Beatles legend Paul McCartney attended the party with his wife Nancy, who is Barbara’s second cousin. During the festivities, the former Beatle reportedly grabbed Walters and brought her onto the dance floor and serenaded her.
“Barbara was shaking she was so excited,” a source told Showbiz 411 .
While Barbara Walters does have an official Twitter account, The View creator has not posted to it in nearly two years. In fact, Walters’ last tweet was on September 25, 2017, on her 88 th birthday. In the post, which you can see below, the ABC News icon thanked fans for their birthday wishes.
Thanks for all of the warm birthday wishes from far and wide. I appreciate everyone who reached out on my special day.
— Barbara Walters (@BarbaraJWalters) September 25, 2017
The View airs weekdays on ABC.
