Whoopi Goldberg’s comments about needing a paycheck from “The View” has left industry insiders unimpressed.
The comments come in the wake of severe cost controls and pay cuts by Disney, leaving hosts frustrated.
Whoopi Goldberg’s remarks about needing a paycheck draw scrutiny amid reported cuts at The View
The controversy stemmed from Whoopi Goldberg’s comments on Baby, This Is Keke Palmer podcast. According to RadarOnline, the 70-year-old EGOT winner said that she joined The View because she “needed a job” and still loves “the check”. The actress also confirmed that onscreen success “doesn’t always translate” into being able to pay the mortgage.
As it stands, the Oscar-winner earns between $5million and $7million a year, even after taking a pay cut. She also happens to be the highest paid host on the panel, even as the network struggles with budget cuts. The network has implemented company-wide cost restrictions. Production budgets have been squeezed, and the staff are being told to do more with less.
A television insider said, “People were rolling their eyes.” They added, “Nobody is saying Whoopi shouldn’t work, but when you’re making millions every year, talking like you’re living paycheck to paycheck comes across as incredibly out of touch.”
“People have watched colleagues lose jobs, budgets get slashed and departments stretched thin,” said the source. “Meanwhile, Whoopi is still making more than anyone else on the panel by a wide margin. They added, “It wasn’t exactly a relatable moment.”
A source said, “Whoopi’s version of financial pressure is very different from everyone else’s. There’s a huge gap between protecting a multimillion-dollar lifestyle and wondering if you can pay next month’s bills.”
“When the highest-paid person in the building says she’s just hanging on for the paycheck, it doesn’t exactly inspire sympathy,” the insider said.
Whoopi Goldberg is an EGOT-winning actress, comedian, and television host best known for films such as “The Color Purple”, “Ghost”, and “Sister Act”, as well as her longtime role on The View.
