Why Whoopi Goldberg was absent from ‘The View’ today
From “Hot Topics” to hot lava.
Whoopi Goldberg revealed she was absent from “The View” Monday because she was stranded in Italy due to an active volcano erupting.
“I am in Sicily right now, and Mount Etna, who is one of our active volcanoes here in Italy, decided to go off today,” the TV personality shared in a pre-recorded video played during the talk show’s July 6 episode.
“We have spent most of the day trying to get back to the United States and all of the airports are closed here,” she added. “So I will be back as soon as I can.”
Goldberg, 70, quipped that while everyone has “all kinds of stories about” their vacations, hers “takes the cake.”
“A volcano ate my homework!” she joked.
According to Italy’s National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology, Etna, the largest volcano in Europe, began an eruptive cycle on June 26.
An increase in lava flow was documented on July 5, resulting in flight cancellations.
Goldberg was absent along with her co-stars Ana Navarro, who was stuck in Florida due to the weather, and Sara Haines, 48, who was dealing with unspecified storm damage.
Navarro, 54, took to Instagram to announce her absence on Sunday, telling fans, “I’m sorry I won’t be there tomorrow. I’m sure the other ladies will have great, insightful things to say. Take a little time to enjoy ‘The View’ without me.”
The trio’s absence led the show producers to call in co-host Joy Behar, who is normally not on Monday episodes and is fresh off a hiatus of her own, to appear on the broadcast with Alyssa Farah Griffin, 37, and Sunny Hostin, 57.
“So you may be asking, ‘Why am I here on a Monday?’ I asked myself the same question,” Behar, 83, told viewers on the daytime show.
“But [producer] Brian [Teta] begged me to come in — on his knees, where he belongs,” she said. “Why? Because we are down three co-hosts today.”
Behar jokingly added that Goldberg was “using the old volcano excuse.”
The comedian also poked fun at Navarro’s absence, she quipped that it’s “always hot” in Miami, adding, “What’s the problem?”
As for Haines, Behar asked the audience if any of them were dealing with storm damage and, when seemingly no one raised their hand or responded, she quipped, “No, just Sara.”
