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LOS ANGELES: Veteran Hollywood star Whoopi Goldberg issued an apology for using an ethnic slur toward the Romani people on 'The View'.
The co-host made the offensive slur while discussing former US president Donald Trump's loss of the 2020 presidential election on the air in the Wednesday, March 15 episode, reports aceshowbiz.com.
In her apology video which was shared on Twitter, Whoopi said, "You know, when you're a certain age, you use words that you know from when you're a kid or you remember saying, and that's what I did today, and I shouldn't have."
The actress continued, "I should have thought about it a little longer before I said it, but I didn't, and I should have said 'cheated,' and I used another word, and I'm really, really sorry."
In the episode, Whoopi used the word "gypped" while discussing the Daniels case, mentioning, "People who still believe that he got, you know, gypped somehow in the election." The term is considered derogatory toward people of Romani heritage.
According to Mary-Frances Winters of The Inclusion Solution, which is run by diversity, equity, inclusion and justice consulting firm The Winters Group, Inc., the word has historically been used to denote when someone has "been cheated in some way" and likely originates from the derogatory Romani term "gypsy."
Despite Whoopi's apology, some Internet users were still upset.
"How many times does she have to apologise? Take them off the air," one person tweeted. Someone else added, "Whoopi Goldberg tapes video apology for saying 'gy**ed' on 'The View': 'I'm really sorry' EXCUSES, EXCUSES, THAT IS WHAT SHE MEANT. IS NOT THE 1ST TIME."
This wasn't the first time Whoopi apologised for using controversial comments. Back in 2022, she issued another formal apology and was suspended from aThe View' after making controversial comments about the Jewish people and the Holocaust in response to a local school board banning the graphic novel Maus by Art Spiegelman.
"The Holocaust isn't about race. It's about man's inhumanity to man, that's what it's about," she opined in a January 2022 episode of the morning talk show.
In the wake of backlash, Whoopi showed remorse as she said, "I regret my comments and I stand corrected. I also stand with the Jewish people."