Whoopi Goldberg, a familiar face on our screens, has a surprising confession. The beloved co-host of ABC’s The View shared that while she’d love to kick back and enjoy retirement, it’s just not in the cards financially. It seems even Hollywood stars have bills to pay, just like the rest of us.
Goldberg, who will celebrate her 70th birthday this November, has been a fixture on the daytime talk show since 2007. Despite nearly two decades on the panel, she isn’t planning to slow down. When an Entertainment Tonight reporter recently asked if she’d thought about taking it easy, her response was refreshingly honest.
“Who can afford to do that?” Goldberg quipped in an interview shared on September 9. She explained her situation clearly. “If you don’t marry well, you have to keep working,” she noted. When the reporter suggested that someone of her stature “probably could afford” to stop working, the Oscar winner didn’t mince words. “No, not yet. Not yet,” she stated, adding with a smile, “I gotta keep paying those bills, baby.”
Goldberg’s comment about marriage isn’t a new thought for her. The Sister Act star has walked down the aisle three times. She was married to drug counselor Alvin Martin from 1973 to 1979, with whom she shares her only child, 51-year-old Alexandra Martin. Later, she tied the knot with Dutch cinematographer David Claessen from 1986 to 1988, and then union organizer Lyle Trachtenberg from 1994 to 1995.
In a 2011 interview with Piers Morgan, Goldberg revealed her deeper feelings about marriage. She made it clear she isn’t interested in marrying again, questioning if she even loved all of her ex-husbands. "Some people aren’t built for marriage, and I’m not. I’m sure it’s wonderful for a lot of people," she shared. She also mentioned the need for deep love and commitment in marriage, a commitment she admitted she doesn’t possess.
Goldberg once married because she “wanted to feel normal.” The Ghost actress explained her reasoning: “It seemed to me that if I married, I would have a much more normal life.” She quickly learned that wasn’t true for her. “Clearly, that’s not the case. There’s no good reason to get married,” she concluded. “You have to really want a life with someone, with its ups and downs. I just found that wasn’t for me.”
Meanwhile, her View co-host Joy Behar, 83, has a different perspective on retirement. She told Entertainment Tonight that the idea doesn’t cross her mind. “Creative people don’t really retire,” Behar explained. “I just like writing and creating things. … Creative people don’t retire, they don’t quit, they just keep going.”
Goldberg and Behar kicked off the 29th season of The View on September 8. They were joined by fellow co-hosts Sara Haines, Sunny Hostin, Ana Navarro, and Alyssa Farah Griffin. It looks like Whoopi will be around for a while, making us laugh and think, even if her retirement plans are still on hold.