Whoopi Goldberg To Join "The View"
Barbara Walters announced on "The View" Wednesday that Whoopi Goldberg is being added as moderator of the talk show. Walters said that the Oscar-winner will join the show permanently the day after Labor Day.
"I am in the moderator's chair," Goldberg said as she sat in O'Donnell's former post.
After the women embraced each other, Goldberg told Walters she'd watched the show once or twice. "I love hanging out with you guys," she said. "It's wonderful, it's a great opportunity to have some fun."
Goldberg said she is looking forward to the hot topics segment the most. And the least? "Trying to get in between all everyone talking at one time," she said.
When Joy Behar asked if she would help the show win the daytime Emmy, Goldberg replied, "You know what? I'll make my own Emmy for us."
Photos: Whoopi Goldberg
The Los Angeles Times reported Friday that Goldberg and frequent guest host Sherri Shepherd were in final negotiations to join the show. A source tells The ShowBuzz that the show was interested in working with Shepherd but an agreement could not be reached.
Goldberg, 51, gives "View" creator Barbara Walters a big name to replace O'Donnell, who quit the show in May.
In less than a year on the show, the brash O'Donnell was a never-ending source of headlines for her feuds with Donald Trump and co-star Elisabeth Hasselbeck. Despite the near-constant need for damage control, ratings shot up.
Goldberg is one of the few performers to earn Emmy, Grammy, Tony and Academy awards in her versatile career.
Goldberg will give the show some ethnic diversity. "The View" has been without a regular black cast member since Star Jones Reynolds' headline-making departure last year.Photos: Rosie O'Donnell