Actress Whoopi Goldberg, longtime host of The View, will be absent on the program all of next week from November 17 to 21. Goldberg, who celebrated her 70th birthday on the show on Thursday, appeared on the behind-the-scenes podcast for the ABC talk show called “Behind The Table” with producer and host Brian Teta. As they were discussing their mutual appreciation for Italy, they revealed that the actress would be missing from the panel for a week so that she could play an unexpected role in a show.
Goldberg wants to do something in addition to The View
“You’re not going to be on The View next week,” Teta said about Goldberg’s upcoming absence. “You’re about to star in an Italian soap opera.”
“Well, I’m not starring in it,” the actress clarified, prompting the producer to respond, “You’re a big star in an Italian soap opera.”
“I’m in the Italian soap opera,” she confessed before explaining that her friends had a “crazy idea” for her as she was “looking for things to do.” She said to them, “Yeah, okay, if you can make it work.”
In June, while she was away from The View on a vacation in Italy, Goldberg posted an Instagram video from a waterfront and said that she was happy to be joining the cast of “Un Posto Al Sole,” which means “A Place in the Sun.”
“They know it’s a crazy idea, I know it’s a crazy idea,” she said in the video. “But what a wonderful thing to do, so I’m looking forward to it, and I’m excited. My Italian is not perfect, but we’ve worked it out.”
The soap opera began airing in 1996 and is set in an apartment building called Palazzo Palladini in Naples. It’s a drama about a high-class family who has to deal with an old aristocrat leaving his estate between his legitimate and illegitimate children.
Goldberg’s role in the show is not yet known, but a caption from Fremantle says that her character will be “part of a special storyline and will appear in multiple episodes in 2026.”
Teta wished his friend the best on her new role on the soap opera. “But it’s great, because you love acting. And it’s nice for you to get a break from here occasionally. We will miss you desperately, but you’ll be back, which is the important thing to mention. You’re going to be on the longest running soap opera in Italy. Are you excited about this, are you nervous about this? How do you feel?”
Goldberg confessed that her knowledge of soap operas are mainly those in America. “Well, all of those things. I only know soap operas here. I love a soap opera, I love it. I don’t know how they work there [in Italy].”
The actress believed that it was “time for me to some things in addition to this,” mentioning that she has been a host for The View for nearly two decades.
Elsewhere in the podcast, Goldberg explained her appreciation for Italy and its people and how her visits there have expanded her worldview. “One of the things I love about Italy is you can knock on any door, and no one is gonna shoot you, you know. No one’s gonna shoot you through the door, nobody’s gonna do that.”
“There was something about just being able to walk around,” she continued. “And you now, people wave and talk. I know I understand [Italian] probably more than I could ever speak, but there’s something about it.”
At the end of the podcast, Goldberg revealed that one of the surprising items on her bucket list is to have a government position.
