Whoopi Goldberg is facing a firestorm of criticism after claiming on Wednesday’s episode of “The View” that black Americans are no better off than citizens living under Iran’s oppressive Islamist regime, a claim that many are calling deeply offensive, historically tone-deaf, and flat-out false.
The stunning remark came during a tense exchange between Goldberg and co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin.
Griffin was pointing out the daily horrors faced by Iranian women living under the country’s tyrannical theocratic rule.
“I can’t have my hair showing, I can’t wear a skirt, I can’t have my arms out,” Griffin said, noting that she would likely be arrested in Iran for her outfit alone.
Rather than agree or acknowledge that oppression in Iran is uniquely severe, Goldberg responded by drawing a false equivalence to the United States.
“Let’s not do that,” Goldberg said.
“Because if we start with that, we have been known in this country to tie gay folks to the car.”
She added, “They used to just keep hanging black people!”
Griffin, to her credit, pushed back immediately, saying:
“Where the Iranian regime is today is nothing compared to the United States.”
But Goldberg doubled down.
WATCH:
The backlash was swift and widespread, with commentators, politicians, and human rights activists accusing Goldberg of moral relativism and minimizing the suffering of women and dissidents in Iran.
Under the brutal Islamic dictatorship, beatings, rape, and executions are commonplace punishments for even minor offenses.
Fox News contributor Guy Benson blasted Goldberg’s rant on America’s Newsroom, calling it “moral idiocy.”
“That show is like a televised insane asylum,” Benson said.
“Alyssa Farah made a valid point about Iran’s brutality.
“Whoopi equates that to living in the U.S.? It’s deeply ignorant.
“Our government prosecutes hate crimes — Iran’s government commits them.”
WATCH:
🔥TORCHED: @guypbenson just DECIMATED Whoopi Goldberg & “The View” for their “moral idiocy.”
“I call that show a daily national televised insane asylum for a reason…”
“Our government PROSECUTES hate crimes. They don’t commit them…!”
“Whoopi Goldberg…is one of the most… pic.twitter.com/T4cRg9tVMy
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) June 19, 2025
Others pointed out just how privileged Goldberg is and how absurd it is to compare life in free, democratic America to the brutal conditions faced by women like Nika Shakarami.
Shakarami, a 16-year-old Iranian girl, was tortured and killed by the regime after burning her headscarf in protest.
“Hi, Whoopi Goldberg,” one viral post read.
“You say your life is just as brutal as Iranian women.
“Meet Nika Shakarami.
“She protested. She disappeared.
“Her family was given her corpse. That’s Iran.”
Hi Whoopi Goldberg!
You say your life is just a brutal as Iranian women.
Meet Nika Shakarami.
After the IRGC kiIIed Mahsa Amini, the 16-year-old burned her scarf in protest and vanished.
The IRGC delivered her corpse to her parents — who only identified her by her birthmark. pic.twitter.com/A5LwwtWuqv
— dahlia kurtz ✡︎ דליה קורץ (@DahliaKurtz) June 18, 2025
Another user wrote:
“Whoopi can show her hair, travel freely, express vile opinions on national TV, and face no consequences.
“Iranian women are beaten for singing in public.
“That she thinks she’s more oppressed is delusional. She’s a useful idiot.”
Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ) also weighed in:
“If America were anything like Iran, Whoopi Goldberg would be punished or silenced for the way she bashes our country on national television.
“Instead, she’s free to do it every day.
“That’s the beauty of America — and she still doesn’t get it.”
This isn’t the first time Goldberg has sparked outrage over insensitive or historically inaccurate remarks.
In 2022, she was suspended from “The View” after claiming that the Holocaust “was not about race.”
Now, with her latest comparison, critics say she’s once again revealing just how out of touch Hollywood elites can be, especially when hatred for their own country blinds them to actual global atrocities.
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