‘The View’ Co-host Whoopi Goldberg Opens up About Her Difficult Days as ‘Welfare Mom’ Earning $27 a Week
Tensions ran high during this morning's episode of The View when Whoopi Goldberg shared a personal anecdote about her time on welfare while discussing the topic of women in the workplace with her co-hosts. As reported by Decider, the discussion on The View became intense after Joy Behar pointed out that Republicans had prolonged debt limit negotiations due to their desire to enforce “stricter work requirements on recipients of food stamps and other public benefits.”
Goldberg's reaction was triggered by the remarks of her co-host, Alyssa Farah Griffin, who expressed her support for the Senate Republicans' proposal. Griffin emphasized that the Republicans' version included provisions that required individuals to demonstrate active efforts in seeking employment, aiming to encourage them to enter the workforce and reduce their reliance on public assistance.
Goldberg's response was immediate and forceful as she fired back at Griffin's comments. “Let me be really clear about this: 95% of people who are getting help are looking for work. Nobody wants this free money that people think is so much. When I was on welfare — because I was a welfare mom — they paid us $27 a week. All I wanted to do was work. But you know the problem? When you work, they take money out. So they’re keeping you working. Griffin's discussion of incentives to encourage individuals to transition away from public assistance only fueled Goldberg's passion for her viewpoint: "No, don’t incentivize it. Change the rule!” Goldberg fumed. “If somebody gets a job, let them keep that job until you know if it’s gonna last. Let them do what they need to do. The second that you start taking money away, now you’ve put them in a worse position.”
During the heated exchange, Goldberg reiterated her stance by emphasizing that people do want to work, emphasizing the need for others to stop making assumptions about their intentions. Drawing attention to past stereotypes, she expressed, “This is what they used to do when they talked about Black girls who just wanted to lay around and have babies, It’s not so. People want work. People care about their kids just like everybody else. And sometimes you don’t have the money and sometimes you do. Let’s be a little bit more open to the fact that everybody really is trying. Maybe there’s 3% who’s not. But everybody’s trying to do the right thing," Goldberg concluded.
Before embarking on her theater show that eventually led to an audition with Steven Spielberg, Goldberg, and her daughter faced challenging circumstances. In the early 1980s, they found themselves on the brink of homelessness while living in San Diego. As a single mother, Goldber's difficulties led her to rely on welfare assistance. The contrast was striking when she attended the Oscars in 1986, reflecting on the fact that just two years prior, she had been a recipient of public assistance, as per Showbiz Cheatsheet.
In her book published in 2010, Goldberg delved into the numerous misconceptions surrounding Affirmative Action and public assistance: “I know what I’m talking about when I’m talking about the value of welfare because I was on it. And thank God for the welfare system.” In her writings, Goldberg acknowledged that the assistance she received during a challenging period helped her through a difficult time. However, she maintained a realistic perspective, understanding that the welfare checks were temporary support while remaining confident in her ability to secure employment in the near future.
