Whoopi Goldberg has claimed that a New York City bakery refused to serve her due to her political views, and the 145-year-old establishment has fired back. On Wednesday’s episode of “The View,” Goldberg joined her co-hosts Sunny Hostin, Alyssa Farah Griffin, Joy Behar, and Sara Haines, who took a moment to celebrate her 69th birthday.
To celebrate the occasion, the hosts enjoyed some Charlotte Russe desserts, a New York classic that Goldberg shared had been her mother’s favorite treat during her childhood. However, the joyful moment was brief, as Goldberg revealed that the bakery, which she didn’t name, had refused to take her order because of her liberal political stance.
Denied Her Mother’s Favorite Savory
Later, Entertainment Weekly identified the shop as Holtermann’s Bakery, a family-owned establishment located on Staten Island and popular with the local community. Goldberg commented on the show, “Now, I should tell you, Charlotte Russe has no political leanings, and the place that made these refused to make them for me.”
Her comments immediately sparking strong reactions from both the audience and her fellow co-hosts.
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“They said that their ovens had gone down, all kinds of stuff,” Goldberg claimed, “but folks went and got them anyway, which is why I’m not telling you who made them.”
The “Sister Act” star further explained that her order was declined not because she is a woman, but because “they didn’t agree with my political views.”
“But that’s OK because, you know what? Listen, this is my mother’s celebration. Pick these up and celebrate with me and my mom. Thank you everyone for celebrating my birthday today,” she said.
Bakery Fires Back at Goldberg
Shortly after, the bakery’s owner, Jill Holtermann, refuted Goldberg’s statement, telling Entertainment Weekly that the refusal was “not due to political” reasons but rather because “we were having trouble with our boilers.”
“I said to Whoopi, ‘I can’t do it right now,'” Holtermann told the outlet. “‘We have so many things going on with my boiler,’ because the building is from 1930, so, when she called me, I had no idea [if we could] be baking everything.”
Holtermann explained that when Goldberg requested the desserts for the Nov. 13 episode, she “didn’t want to make a commitment that I can’t carry through” due to the bakery’s technical problems.
She noted that in the end, she did prepare 50 treats, which were collected at 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday, and insisted that the issue was unrelated to Goldberg’s political views.
The EGOT winner has consistently been outspoken in her criticism of President-elect Donald Trump, avoiding saying his name aloud on air.