Whoopi Goldberg is reportedly displaying “antagonistic” behavior behind the set of The View, with some believing the actress is provoking the bosses of ABC to fire her.
An insider reportedly told Page Six that 60-year-old Goldberg gets a $5 million annual fee to lead the show’s panel, but the comedienne is said to be “at war with the management,” and that she is not putting in a lot of effort in her work nowadays.
Is Whoopi Goldberg trying to get fired from “The View”? https://t.co/Nfy3tyg9t6 pic.twitter.com/g7H1jTl97P
— EntertainmentTonight (@etnow) February 7, 2016
Goldberg, who is now on her final year of a five-year contract, caused a stir last year when she allegedly paraded around, ranting how the network has treated her like a slave. “I’s a work for ABC, who is my master. I’s a slave to ABC. It’s ’12 Years a Whoopi’ at ABC,” referring to the film 12 Years a Slave.
“Whoopi has been so antagonistic, she’s constantly at war with management,” said the source. “It’s so bad that some execs think she’s daring them to fire her so she can go off and do other things, particularly after her ‘slave’ outburst.”
Whoopi Goldberg A “Slave” to “The View?!” http://t.co/FdEbTWbMcs
— TMZ (@TMZ) October 4, 2015
The insider believes Goldberg is doing this to push execs of ABC to cut her from the program so she can be paid without doing her work. “She knows if they did fire her, they’d have to pay out her contract and she’d be paid $5 million for doing nothing.”
“Whoopi loves the money, but she doesn’t want to work so hard anymore,” the source declared. “She doesn’t come in prepared, she doesn’t really engage with other panelists and guests. She gives some one-liners and moves on.”
The source also added that Whoopi Goldberg is in the final year of a five-year contract, but if she decides to renew it, the actress will be receiving “significantly less money.”
If the rumors are true, and bosses of ABC are considering firing her, The View would be in a dire situation. Recent reports also claim ABC will be firing two co-hosts amid the continuous drop in ratings. According to a report by The Daily Mail, Raven-Symoné and Michelle Collins are on the edge of being fired from the cast.
#TheView ‘s Raven-Symone under fire again for comments she made about #TheWizLive https://t.co/hFKfvcEBdb
— Minyvonne Burke (@minyvonneb) December 5, 2015
ABC reportedly got an online petition before, requesting to get Symoné fired from the talk show after the host sided with the police who used violent measures to remove an unruly high school student from a classroom. However, the network has yet to confirm the reports.
As for Whoopi Goldberg, a spokesperson from the network dismissed the speculations and assured that the actress and host will still be part of the long-running daytime talk show. “We hope Whoopi is here for a long time to come,” said the rep in a statement to ET . “She is a vital part of The View who delivers every day as moderator and always comes to play.”
Meanwhile, co-host Joy Behar has signed a new three-year contract with the daytime talk show, sources spilled to Page Six. The host has signed a long-term deal after coming back to The View last year.
Behar left the show in 2013 to pursue her other interests. “There are other things on my plate I want to do — I’ve been writing a play, I’ve been neglecting my stand-up,” she said at the time.
Joy Behar leaves The View with special farewell episode celebrating 16 years on the show http://t.co/XcJYYxAtHW
— Daily Mail Celebrity (@DailyMailCeleb) August 9, 2013
Insiders are claiming that nobody is sure if Goldberg will be retained as a show host once her contract ends, which is why Behar has been signed to a long-term deal.
Aside from Whoopi Goldberg and Joy Behar, current hosts of The View include Candace Cameron Bure, Paula Farris, Michelle Collins, and Raven-Symoné.
[Image by Monica Schipper/Getty Images]
