An Open Letter to Whoopi Goldberg
Dear Whoopi,
Or perhaps I should say Caryn, your given name. I’ve read that you chose “Whoopi” for comedic effect and “Goldberg” because your mother thought it would help your career—believing your name was not Jewish enough to open doors in Hollywood. At different times, you’ve suggested you have Jewish roots, though public records and Henry Louis Gates Jr.’s “Finding Your Roots” showed otherwise. That choice raises important questions about cultural identity and appropriation—especially when it’s used to one’s advantage.
More recently, your comments on The View have gone viral—statements comparing life for Black Americans today to the plight of women living under Iran’s brutal theocratic regime. When your co-host Alyssa Farrah highlighted the oppression Iranian women face—including death for failing to comply with mandatory hijab laws—you dismissed her by insisting that life for Black Americans is worse. You also equated the targeted killings of LGBTQ individuals in Iran to the tragic but far less systemic violence in the U.S.
Whoopi, this is not only factually inaccurate—it’s deeply irresponsible. You are living proof of the opportunities this country can offer: a Black woman born in the projects of New York City who became a trailblazing performer, an EGOT winner, and once the highest-paid Black woman in entertainment. You own a home in a historic New Jersey neighborhood—ironically, one that connects back to Thomas Edison, a man known for his antisemitic views. The very barriers Jews once faced in that industry helped birth Hollywood. You, and many others, have broken ceilings because this country, while imperfect, allows it.
That’s the critical difference between America and Iran. In Iran, persecution is codified into law. Women cannot appear on television freely, let alone lead lives in science, the arts, or politics. Dissidents are silenced, imprisoned, or killed. The murder of Mahsa Amini sparked global outrage—for good reason.
In America, when George Floyd was killed, millions—Black, white, Jewish, Muslim—marched together demanding justice. Jewish Americans were among those on the front lines. Yet today, I don’t see you standing up publicly for the Jewish community. I haven’t seen you wear the yellow ribbon that your colleagues have worn—a nonpartisan symbol of support for the innocent hostages still held by Hamas since October 7. These hostages are not political—they are human beings, just as Mahsa Amini was.
You have a powerful platform. Use it responsibly. It’s not about denying racism exists in America—it does, and it must be confronted. But saying that life here is worse than under the Iranian regime insults those who endure life without the most basic freedoms.
America is flawed—but it is also full of hope, opportunity, and the ability to change. You are evidence of that. Please don’t diminish those truths by making false equivalencies. You don’t need to tear down America to critique it.
