In yet another out-of-touch comparison, The View co-host Whoopi Goldberg sparked backlash after claiming that Black Americans are treated similarly to women and gay people in Iran, a country known for brutal oppression, public executions, and systemic human rights abuses.
During a segment on The View this week, Goldberg got into a dispute with co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin, who pushed back on Goldberg’s comments, saying that the U.S. of 2025 is different from Iran, to which Goldberg.
“[N]ot if you’re black,” Goldberg argued.
Griffin, who has Iranian heritage, tried to point out that women can’t even dress like she is on the show in Iran. However, Goldberg shouted her down.
“Are her kids gonna get shot because they’re running through somebody’s neighborhood,” Goldberg said, saying that Black Americans weren’t allowed to vote until 1965.
Holy shit, Whoopi Goldberg said it’s not different to live in the US and Iran in 2025. How can you be this clueless? Her co-host, who has Iranian heritage, is trying to point out that women can’t even dress like she is on the show. Gets shouted down: pic.twitter.com/I9keSMQfNb
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) June 18, 2025
Griffin shot back, noting that Iranians don’t even have free and fair elections and that women are often physically abused by Iranian authorities for not wearing their hijabs properly.
“It’s not even the same universe,” she said. “They can’t go out of their house!”
Fox News host Kayleigh McEnany schooled Goldberg on her absurd comment, saying The View host needs a lesson on the reality of life in Iran. McEnany highlighted the case of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian woman who died after being arrested and abused by Iran’s morality police for not properly wearing her hijab. McEnany uses this example to underscore the brutality of the Iranian regime and imply that Goldberg’s comparison is both ignorant and offensive.
"Yeah, and they do kill you. Harris, listen to this from PBS based on a UN report. The Iranian government cracked down and killed 500 people, 200,000 detained, this included children,” McEnany said. “This is hard to listen to, but apparently, they kill people with shotguns, assault rifles, submachine guns and a pattern of shooting people intentionally in the eye, some of those detained faced sexual violence, including rape, threat of rape, forced nudity, groping and electrocution of their genitals. Welcome to Iran, Whoopi Goldberg, but apparently it’s harder to live in this country.”
Fox News co-host Kennedy cited a PBS report based on UN findings that detailed severe human rights abuses by the Iranian government. She noted that Iran has killed 500 people and detained 200,000—including children—using brutal methods like firearms and targeted violence. Kennedy also described reports of detainees facing sexual assault and torture. Her message was clear: comparing life in the U.S. to Iran is not only inaccurate but also ignores the horrific realities faced by people living under the Iranian regime.
Social media users hit back against Goldberg, calling out her idiocracy.
Whoopi Goldberg will work her racism into any and every discussion. She will then talk over all the other hosts and interrupt them if they don't agree with her.
— observer_____22 (@22Observer) June 18, 2025
Whoopi is RACIST and should not be paid by @ABC to spew her vitriol.
Barbara Walters would have fired Whoopi long ago.
Very wealthy & extremely racist Whoopi is always annoyed about something. Why does this high school drop out get so much attention w/ so few fact-based & racist comments? Claims racial discrimination when worth $45 million making $5 million/yr telling about limited opportunities.
— Wayne Dunlap (@wdunlap) June 19, 2025
Maybe she should go over there and check it out for us.
— Michelle Worthy (@worthy_mom2003) June 18, 2025
The only reason she is on that show is because if they fire her she will say bc of racism
— EagleTurd (@EagleTurd) June 18, 2025
And this woman makes 8 million dollars a year.
— Stred (@stred4life) June 18, 2025
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