Tension flared on The View Monday when co-host Whoopi Goldberg tore up a legal note from the show's producers urging her to correct a remark about President Donald Trump's use of an autopen, after she insisted the comment was meant as a joke.
The exchange came during a discussion of Trump's 60 Minutes interview, in which he denied knowing Binance founder Changpeng "CZ" Zhao - the crypto billionaire he pardoned last month. Co-host Sunny Hostin criticized Trump's response, pointing out that "the Trump family has made about $1.8 billion, profited off of this government," before asking, "How come you don't know who this guy is?"
Goldberg interjected, quipping, "Because he used an autopen," referring to the device that replicates a person's signature with a mechanical arm. The comment drew laughter from the audience, but minutes later, Hostin slid a note across the table reminding Goldberg that the show did not know whether Trump had used an autopen.
"What the hell? What?" Goldberg said, grabbing the note and reading it aloud. "We don't know if Trump used an autopen to pardon. It was a joke!" she shouted, before tearing the note to pieces. "I'm sorry. The hardest thing about this job now is no one understands nuance," she said, as applause erupted from the audience. "You know when you hear a joke, when somebody is fooling around, when they're not saying something specific."
Goldberg, 69, went on to criticize what she described as an atmosphere of overcorrection and self-censorship. "Especially on this show. I'm very specific when I'm pointing stuff out. When I'm making jokes, you know when I'm making jokes. This is ridiculous," she said.
According to Page Six, the note came directly from The View's production team, which has been under pressure to avoid potential legal or political blowback following prior network controversies involving Trump. A representative for The View did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The tension on set comes amid reports that ABC executives have urged The View's hosts to moderate their criticism of Trump ahead of the next inauguration. Sources told The New York Post earlier this year that executive producer Brian Teta asked staffers to go "easy" on Trump-related discussions as the network navigates cost-cutting and fears of renewed FCC scrutiny.
One insider close to the show's hosts - Goldberg, Hostin, Joy Behar, Sara Haines, Alyssa Farah Griffin, and Ana Navarro - told The Post that morale has been strained amid layoffs and legal caution. "Everybody is waiting for the other shoe to drop," the source said.
The heightened caution follows ABC and CBS each paying $16 million settlements to Trump last year after separate on-air comments by network anchors drew legal threats from the president's attorneys.
