Whoopi Goldberg Details Serious Pneumonia Bout: ‘I Came Very, Very Close to Leaving the Earth’ (Video)

“The View” moderator says she went into septic shock

Whoopi Goldberg has shared a health update after being absent from “The View” for just over a month, revealing on Friday’s show that she’s “not dead,” but she actually came awfully close.

“I am OK. I’m not dead,” Goldberg said in a taped segment that rolled at the top of Friday’s episode. “Yes, I came very, very close to leaving the Earth. Good news, I didn’t. Thank you for all of your good wishes.”

Goldberg said she had pneumonia in both lungs and became “septic,” leading to a lot of fluid and “all kinds of stuff going on.” She’s been absent from “The View” since Feb. 5.

“Even people who are not huge fans of mine have actually said nice things about me,” Goldberg said. “We all know that’s going to change when I get back, but for right now, it’s brilliant!”

Goldberg’s lengthy absence from the show coincided with the Oscars, and since there was no host, it led to some speculation that Goldberg might be a surprise Oscar host, as she’s hosted in the past. The Oscars did proceed however without a host — and without Whoopi, who was supposed to be a presenter.

“Ladies, I cannot wait to see you all, and I’ll tell you all about it when we’re all at the table,” she signed off on Friday, blowing a kiss. “See you soon.”

Watch Goldberg’s video above.

“The View” airs at 11 a.m./10 a.m. central on ABC. Behar has been handling Goldberg’s moderating duties since she fell ill.

Comments