Whoopi Goldberg says she's not married as she doesn't want to be 'invested' in her spouse's feelings

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Whoopi Goldberg discussed in detail why she feels she is not suited for marriage during her appearance on the Friday, May 10, edition of 'Who's Talking to Chris Wallace'. 

Since joining 'The View' as a co-host in 2007, the EGOT winner has discussed a wide range of topics, including politics, the royal family, relationships, and more.

Beyond her role as the venerable moderator of ABC's daytime talk show, the 'Till' actress has also been open and honest about her views on marriage.

Whoopi Goldberg explains why she has not found success in marriage

Golberg, who appeared on the show to promote her new memoir, 'Bits and Pieces: My Mother, My Brother, and Me', admitted that she genuinely lacked the vitality for that kind of relationship when CNN host Chris Wallace questioned her about her three previous marriages.

The comedian, who went through three divorces between 1973 and 1995, has been vocal about her vow never to be married again.

On Wallace's show, she went on to say that she had never loved either of her ex-husbands, as per OK! Magazine.

"Well, why are you not meant for marriage? You don't want to share?" asked Wallace to the 'Ghost' actor, who replied, "No, I don't, I don't care how you feel. It’s terrible. You know, when you're married to somebody, you have to be invested in how they're feeling. I am not."

The TV personality made it clear that while she is committed to her son-in-law, her grandchildren, and her daughter, Alex Martin, whom she welcomed with her first husband, Alvin Martin, she does not want a romantic relationship that would require her to put in the same kind of work.

Goldberg stressed, "I’m invested in my kid. I'm invested in her kids. I'm invested in my son-in-law. I'm invested in my friends. But I'm not invested in a relationship that would require as much as having a child requires and I know that that's not for me."

Regarding her views on partnerships, she said to Wallace that she is "not adverse to hit and runs."

"I know you're not supposed to say that but I think you must say it because not everybody is meant to be married," remarked Goldberg, adding, "But many people enjoy, you know, sex. So sometimes a little hit and run is not bad."

Goldberg's first marriage, to Alvin Martin, ended in divorce in 1979. Then, she married cinematographer David Claessen in 1986, but they ended up separating just two years after tying the knot.

In 1994, she got hitched to Lyle Trachtenberg; the two divorced the following year.

Whoopi Goldberg previously expressed her often contentious views on marriage

Goldberg has previously shared her unvarnished and often controversial views on marriage and has always been honest about her conflicting feelings about her previous marriages.

In a 2023 August episode of 'The View', she claimed she was eager to leave all three of her marriages and remarked, "I was dancing and prancing around. I was so glad to get out of there."

According to Goldberg, the reason she carried out the marriages was because she believed that she could "make a round hole go into a square peg."

Goldberg also confessed that she was never in love with any of her three ex-husbands in a 2011 CNN interview with Piers Morgan. "I wanted to feel normal and it seemed to me that if I was married I would have a more normal life," expressed the EGOT winner, at the time. 

She elaborated, "But clearly that's not the case, that's not a good reason to get married. You have to actually want a life with someone through ups and downs and I just discovered that wasn't for me."

Internet split over Whoopi Goldberg's opinion on marriage

Social media users were divided over Goldberg's perspective on marriage, with one saying, "Whoopi Goldberg Admits She Isn't Married Because She Doesn't Want to Be 'Invested' in a Partner's Feelings She is self-centered, self-absorbed, and selfish - that's all."

Others took to Facebook to slam Goldberg, and one wrote, "It’s called narcissistic disorder. She’s incapable of accepting an equal. She needs to be and feel above it all. Toxic to the max. She behaves accordingly."

"She always strikes me as the perpetual victim," noted a person, while another shared, "Maybe she doesn't have the capacity to love. And that is not as a result of a shortcoming from her husbands, but from her."

Several others took to Goldberg's defense with one saying, "Yall sound ignorant saying its all about her when she clearly said she's invested in her kids and their families....."

"Because it’s all about her. Only her opinion matters, no one else is worthy of having an opinion or of her love," remarked another supporter.

An individual said, "I absolutely adore her!!!! She doesn’t want a husband…and that is perfectly fine. That is what freedom looks like….she is free to be honest about how she feels."

"I understand. To each her own She is honest. She doesn't want to be an emotional mammy to an adult man," wrote one more.

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.