The View's Whoopi Goldberg rips up 'ridiculous' note on air after being asked to clarify Trump joke

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Whoopi Goldberg tore up a note, calling it "ridiculous" on the Monday, November 3, episode of 'The View'.

The note, handed to her by co-host Sunny Hostin, asked the comedian to clarify a statement she had made earlier in the show. The talk show’s producers sent out the note during a discussion about presidents using an autopen to sign documents. 

Whoopi Goldberg jokes Trump used autopen to sign Changpeng Zhao's pardon

During a discussion about Donald Trump’s appearance on ‘60 Minutes’ the night before, Sunny Hostin focused on the president's recent pardon of convicted Binance founder Changpeng "CZ" Zhao. The president had admitted in the interview that he had "no idea" who Zhao was.

Notably, Trump pardoned Zhao on October 23, just four months into his seven-year prison sentence.

"How come you don’t know who this guy is?" Hostin asked, referring to Zhao, who had pleaded guilty in late 2023 to failing to properly prevent money laundering on his cryptocurrency exchange.

"Because he used an autopen," Goldberg jumped in, joking that Trump might not have known about the pardon.

As the conversation moved on, Hostin quietly passed a note to Goldberg across the table.

"What the hell? What? 'We don’t know if Trump used an autopen to pardon,'" Goldberg said, reading the note. "It was a joke!"

"Yes, we don’t know whether Trump used an autopen to pardon..." Hostin replied, trying to clarify, but Goldberg kept complaining. "Oh, come on!" she exclaimed before tearing the note to pieces.

"Well, I’m sorry. The hardest thing about this job now is no one understands nuance," Goldberg remarked. "You know when you hear a joke, when somebody’s fooling around, when they’re not saying something specific. Especially on this show, I’m very specific when I’m…pointing stuff out. When I’m making jokes, you know when I’m making jokes! This is ridiculous."

'The View' panel frequently takes aim at Trump's actions and policies

‘The View’ often criticizes Donald Trump and his policies while generally speaking favorably about Democrats.

In May, ABC News executives and Disney leaders reportedly told the hosts to tone down their constant complaints about Trump.

After Joy Behar said Trump was “jealous” of former President Barack Obama, the White House hinted that 'The View' could be “the next to be pulled off the air.”

This year, the show has welcomed guests such as former President Joe Biden, former Vice President Kamala Harris, Representative Jasmine Crockett, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, former President Bill Clinton, Democratic Senators Chuck Schumer and Elissa Slotkin, and veteran Senator Bernie Sanders. 

A recent study by the Media Research Center’s NewsBusters found that 'The View' featured almost no right-wing guests in 2025.

However, last week, Goldberg announced that Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene would appear on the show.

In December 2024, ABC News agreed to pay $15 million toward Trump's presidential library in settlement of a defamation lawsuit over 'Good Morning America' host George Stephanopoulos making false comments about the president on air. The deal also included a public apology and an additional $1 million in legal fees. 

Trump also sued CBS News in October 2024 after a '60 Minutes' interview with Harris that he claimed was edited to mislead viewers. The network later paid him $16 million in a settlement.