The View screeched to a halt mid-discussion on Thursday afternoon, thanks to a very random question from Whoopi Goldberg.
As first reported by Deadline, the show’s hosts were discussing Mitt Romney’s decision not to seek another Senate term when Goldberg interrupted the conversation to ask co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin, “Are you pregnant?”
The question seemed to come from nowhere (around the 2:45 mark in the video below), and Farah Griffin seemed genuinely shocked by the inquiry.
“No!” Farah Griffin replied, placing her hand over her chest in shock. “Oh my god. You can’t say that when my mother-in-law is here, who’s been dying for me to get pregnant!”
At this point, co-host Joy Behar joined in: “Why would you say that?” she asked, while Farah Griffin added, “Do I look pregnant?! ... I hope it’s not my tummy!”
Until recently, The View was the only daytime show still airing amid the ongoing Writers Guild of America strike, without the help of its unionized writers. As Goldberg told the show’s audience at the start of the strike, “You’re going to hear how it would be when it’s not slicked up.” That has not saved the show from backlash, as WGA writers picket its filming location at ABC Studios. Now, a number of other daytime shows have announced their plans to return—including, perhaps most infamously, The Drew Barrymore Show.
In the absence of “slicked up” material, Goldberg’s impromptu question nonetheless made for energetic television—although she also seemed mortified by the mistake. “I just got a vibe,” she told her co-host. “I’m so sorry.”
As the shock died down, Farah Griffin clarified, “I’m very open to being pregnant soon. I am not blessed to be pregnant yet. My husband and I are thinking about it.” When Goldberg attributed her remark to a “glow,” she added with a smile, “I’ll take a test when I get home to be sure.”
