Whoopi Goldberg Returns To ‘The View’ Following 5-Week Absence Due To Pneumonia

She may not be 100 percent illness free yet, but Whoopi Goldberg is finally back in her seat on The View, as shown in a video posted to YouTube.

Following a five-week hiatus from the show due to a nasty bout of pneumonia, Goldberg returned to the show and sat alongside co-stars Joy Behar, Sunny Hostin, Meghan McCain, and Abby Huntsman. The previous week, Behar teased fans that Whoopi may be back on the show this week and when Goldberg took the stage, the audience erupted with applause.

Even McCain appeared to be thrilled that Whoopi was back, running over to her and giving her a huge hug. Once the applause died down from the audience, the 63-year-old addressed the crowd and let them know that she is still recovering from her illness but she is thrilled to be back.

“So, this is my first foray out. I’m not there yet. I know that. The only way it’s going to get better is if I begin, so this is my beginning,” Whoopi told the audience and her co-stars. “I still have a cough, but the last thing to go. But, over the next week and a half, I will start to be here more often….I really kind of missed y’all.”

Originally, when Whoopi took a leave of absence for the show in mid-February, many people thought that she was actually prepping to host the Oscars following the Kevin Hart debacle. But as The Hollywood Life shares, Joy Behar shot down the conspiracy rumors and said that Whoopi was recovering from pneumonia and wasn’t well enough to appear on the show.

Just last week, the television personality finally broke her silence on the illness in a pre-recorded segment that aired on The View. As The Inquisitr shared, Goldberg let fans know just how serious her illness was in the video, even revealing that she was so sick that she was “close to leaving the earth.”

As Goldberg explained to viewers, she had pneumonia in both lungs and was septic, almost causing her to die. Luckily, she shared that she is on the mend and thanked fans for all of the well-wishes, love, and support that they have been sending her way. In addition, she told her co-stars that she has really missed them during her time away from the show and can’t wait to see them when she returns.

“This has been interesting and I’ll tell you about it when we’re all at the table. See you soon,” she dished.

The View airs weekday mornings on ABC.