Bill Maher urges Democrats to ‘do something’ about ‘The View’ after Whoopi Goldberg’s Iran comments
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: A heated media clash erupted after Bill Maher and Texas Republican Congressman Wesley Hunt blasted Whoopi Goldberg and ‘The View’ for controversial comments made on Friday, June 20.
In the recent episode of HBO’s ‘Real Time with Bill Maher’, Maher and Hunt criticized Goldberg’s remarks as extreme and unhelpful, with Maher suggesting that Democrats need to move away from such rhetoric if they want to be taken seriously.
The exchange has added fuel to ongoing cultural conversations about race, freedom, and political discourse in the US, as reported by the New York Post.
Bill Maher and Welsey Hunt slam Whoopi Goldberg over Iran comparison
The controversy began when Whoopi Goldberg, during a tense exchange on Wednesday, June 18, on ‘The View’ with co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin, insisted that the experience of Black Americans in the US is comparable to the oppression faced by women in Iran.
Maher, known for his blunt commentary, linked the controversy to larger cultural shifts and praised The New York Times for what he called a move back to “sensible liberal, not crazy woke” values on transgender issues.
He then turned his attention to 'The View', suggesting Democrats should also reevaluate the show’s tone and rhetoric.
“Let’s not do that, because if we start with that, we have been known in this country to tie gay folks to the car. Listen, I’m sorry, they used to just keep hanging Black people,” Goldberg insisted.
Goldberg’s statement came in response to Griffin’s discussion of Iran’s severe human rights violations, including executing LGBTQ+ individuals and jailing women for not covering their hair.
As Griffin pushed back, asserting the situations weren’t equivalent, Goldberg doubled down on her controversial stance.
Reacting on Friday, Maher stated, “The second step Democrats should take is to do something about 'The View'”, directly calling out Goldberg’s comparison as part of the broader problem with extreme rhetoric in left-leaning circles.
Rep Hunt, a guest on the show, echoed Maher’s sentiments. “My district in the great state of Texas is actually a white majority district that President Trump would have won by 25 points. As I said, I’m a direct descendant of a slave, my great-great-grandfather, who was born on Rosedown Plantation. I am literally being judged not by the color of my skin but by the content of my character,” he explained.
Hunt continued, adding, “That’s the progress because — like a lot of white people had to vote for me — a lot. So I don’t ever want to hear Whoopi Goldberg’s conversation about how it’s worse to be black in America right now, ” as per vihe tdeo shared by Fox News.
Wesley Hunt rejects Black History Month
The exchange on 'The View' and its fallout reignited debates around race, victimhood narratives, and what constitutes progress in American society. Wesley Hunt, offering personal context, noted how far his family had come from the days of segregation.
The congressman highlighted his father’s journey, “That’s America,” Hunt stated, noting that his father, who grew up under Jim Crow laws, now has a son serving in Congress in a white-majority Republican district.
CNN contributor Paul Begala also weighed in, pointing out the significance of Juneteenth as a national holiday celebrating the end of slavery in the US “I don’t want it,” Hunt replied. “I don’t want Black History Month. I don’t want all these days to make everybody feel special. I’m an ’80s baby. Everybody’s too sensitive anyway. We’re all Americans anyway.”
The segment stirred passionate reactions on social media, with some supporting Hunt and Maher’s call for a more grounded discourse, while others defended Goldberg’s broader point about ongoing racial injustice in the United States.
