When Whoopi Goldberg Posted an Emotional Photo with Her Late Brother Clyde on His Birthday

Doting sister Whoopi Goldberg went down memory lane and posted a throwback photo with her beloved brother Clyde K. Johnson on his "heavenly birthday." The otherwise opinionated host of ABC's talk show, The View, shared her emotional side with fans on her Instagram account. Her older sibling died in 2015.  

The 67-year-old shared a black-and-white snap, and alongside, she captioned, "Today is my big brother Clyde's birthday, and I miss him," adding, "Happy birthday, bro!" The photo showed the brother-sister duo posing happily for the camera, where Goldberg donned a long and pointy party hat while Clyde wore sunglasses. Her late brother held her from behind and smiled. In 2015, Goldberg left her role as The View's host and rushed to be by her brother's side, who breathed his last. Apparently, he suffered from a brain aneurysm when he was 65 years old. Johnson was Goldberg's only sibling and worked as her driver throughout her film career, reported Daily Mail. 

Unfortunately, the sibling duo lost their mother, Emma Johnson, five years before him [Clyde], due to a life-threatening stroke in August 2010. The former actress-turned-host was in London, performing in the musical Sister Act when the news broke to her. So she immediately rushed to California to join her other family members.

Later, the comedian told her The View's co-panelists, "I think I am just sad sometimes because I think, 'Who will love me the way that she did?' But I realized that my brother and I have each other, so we're OK." Soon after her mother's death, she said, "My brother and I were very, very lucky to have her in our lives." 

"And so, I am not sad because she had a great time." But little did she know after five years, her "only family," her brother, would leave her too. Aside from her immediate family, Goldberg also mourned the loss of the legendary director, Mike Nichols, to whom she owed her entertainment career. Unable to express what he meant for her, Goldberg just buried her face in her hands and sobbed. While she [Whoopi] struggled, her co-panelist, Nicolle Wallace, said, "Whoopi has a hard time putting into words, which is why I am doing it for her, but this man meant the world to her."

Former co-host Rosie O'Donnell chimed in, "He gave her the entire beginning of her career and recognized her brilliance before anyone else." The reality star was recently absent from the show, and her co-host Joy Behar replaced her as a moderator. The 81-year-old didn't divulge the whole thing but gave away enough so viewers did not wonder. 

"Welcome to The View. As you can see, Whoopi is off today," said Behar, as reported by The U.S. Sun. "She's off doing something really exciting. But I can't tell you what it is." She reassured, "Because we want you to watch on Monday when she'll tell you what it is. OK? But trust me, it's a good one."

Editor's note: This article was originally published on October 18, 2023. It has since been updated.