Whoopi Reveals The Sad Reason She's Been Absent From The View

Television personality Whoopi Goldberg is sharing a health update with her fans.

On Friday, March 8, 2019, The View co-host sent a candid video message in to the popular daytime talk show to explain the serious reason behind her noticeable absence in recent weeks: a near-fatal battle with pneumonia.

"Hey, yes, it's me. I am here," Goldberg, whose real name is Caryn Elaine Johnson, began in the clip. "I am up and moving around. Not as fast as I'd like to be, but I am okay. I'm not dead." Despite her joking tone, the comedian-actress went on to reveal some sobering news, saying, "So here's what happened: I had pneumonia and I was septic. Pneumonia in both lungs, which meant there was fluid, there was all kinds of stuff going on."

According to the Mayo Clinic, "Sepsis is a potentially life-threatening condition caused by the body's response to an infection." Noting that "the body normally releases chemicals into the bloodstream to fight an infection," the website reports that "sepsis occurs when the body's response to these chemicals is out of balance, triggering changes that can damage multiple organ systems."

For her part, Goldberg went on to say, "Yes, I came very, very close to leaving the Earth. Good news, I didn't." 

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Readers may be aware that rumors about Goldberg's whereabouts and health have been circulating since her last appearance on the show on Feb. 6, 2019. Weeks later, her longtime co-star on The View, Joy Behar, first addressed her illness during an episode on Feb. 20. "Whoopi's still out," she told the audience at the time. "She's not feeling well." 

The 76-year-old comic went on to specifically target ongoing speculation that The Color Purple star had been secretly gearing up to return as host of the 2019 Academy Awards. "There are all these conspiracy theories on the Internet that she's not really sick. She's secretly preparing to host the Oscars," Behar said, before clearing the air on Goldberg's absence. "She's actually recovering from pneumonia ... She's not really even well enough to host this show right now, much less the Oscars."

Behar later attempted to put their fans' concerns at ease, concluding with, "I saw her last night and she's very funny still, and we had big laughs. And she's getting there, she's on the mend."

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Of course, Goldberg isn't the only daytime talk show host to share a serious health update this week. As Nicki Swift previously reported, Wendy Williams addressed a number of ongoing rumors about her own well-being during her highly anticipated return to The Wendy Williams Show on Monday, March 4. 

After suffering a hairline fracture on her right shoulder in late December 2018, and appearing to slur her words during a taping while on pain medication days later, Williams and her crew were initially meant to take a two-week vacation during the holidays. However, the former DJ began to experience health complications stemming from her hyperthyroidism and Graves' disease, which landed her in the hospital in January 2019. This led to an over two-month absence, during which the controversial TV star postponed her return three times.

"I can't even tell you how many doctors I have," Williams, 54, told her audience this week (via Too Fab). Saying that she'd undergone a number of MRIs, CAT scans, and blood pressure tests, she added, "They're still adjusting my meds." While encouraging her audience to prioritize their own health during the emotional segment, the titular host thankfully announced, "I'm happy to tell you that I am doing swell." 

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At the time of this writing, it's unclear when exactly Goldberg, 63, is set to return to The View. However, following her recent health status update, she elicited cheers and applause from the studio audience while expressing gratitude for everyone's love and support during this difficult time. "Thank you for all of your good wishes. All of the wonderful things that people have been saying," the multi-talent said in her video message. Goldberg went on to quip, "Even people who are not, like, huge fans of mine have actually said nice things about me. We all know that's going to change when I get back, but for right now, it's brilliant." 

"Thank you for everything. And ladies, I cannot wait to see y'all," Goldberg continued to say to her longtime co-stars. "This has been interesting and I'll tell you about it when we're all at the table." While signing off with blowing a kiss toward the camera, she concluded, "To everybody, see you soon." 

We're so glad to hear Whoopi Goldberg is on the mend, and look forward to seeing the beloved star back in action on The View!