When Whoopi Goldberg and Michelle Obama Praised ‘Good Friend’ Harvey Weinstein: "Wonderful Human"

Michelle Obama and Whoopi Goldberg are usually on the righteous side of history, but there's one time they were both terribly, terribly wrong. A video from 2013, when Barack Obama was the President, frequently resurfaces on social media. Michelle is seen praising Weinstein, and Golberg constantly nodding along, seemingly supportive of the Hollywood mogul-turned-convict, per Snopes. The video in question, culled from Obama's remarks from the first White House Careers in Film Symposium, featured big names from all over Hollywood.

"I want to start by thanking Harvey Weinstein for organizing this amazing day," Michelle said to attendees in the controversial video. "This is possible because of Harvey. He is a wonderful human being, a good friend, and just a powerhouse. The fact that he and his team took the time to make this happen to all of you should say something not about me or about this place, but about you. Everybody here, here because of you," Michelle praised the disgraced producer, as Goldberg enthusiastically nodded along.

The Obamas were formerly close to Weinstein, one of the Democratic Party's most visible and influential contributors and fundraisers, who donated more than $70,000 to Obama's reelection bid in 2012. Weinstein also hired the Obamas' eldest daughter Malia in 2016, when she took a gap year before starting at Harvard University in September 2017, per TIME magazine.

The Times revealed in 2017 that Weinstein had three decades of sexual harassment complaints and had negotiated at least eight settlements with victims. More charges surfaced: The New Yorker reported that three women claimed Weinstein raped them, while the Times reported on further allegations of harassment, including testimony from high-profile people such as Gwyneth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie.

Five days after the New York Times published an article detailing Harvey Weinstein's decades of sexual harassment charges, Barack and Michelle Obama issued a devastating statement criticizing the Hollywood tycoon and significant Democratic supporter. “Michelle and I have been disgusted by the recent reports about Harvey Weinstein,” the former President and First Lady said in the damning statement.

“Any man who demeans and degrades women in such fashion needs to be condemned and held accountable, regardless of wealth or status. We should celebrate the courage of women who have come forward to tell these painful stories. And we all need to build a culture – including by empowering our girls and teaching our boys decency and respect – so we can make such behavior less prevalent in the future.”

During a 2017 interview on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Whoopi Goldberg discussed the recent wave of sexual assault and harassment allegations against prominent Hollywood individuals, per The Hollywood Reporter. After admitting that she was not shocked by the number of women coming forward, Goldberg stated that every act of sexual assault is about “power.” Goldberg slammed Weinstein, “People in power, be they men or women, always prey on people who they know won’t tell.”