The OFFS Awards: Whoopi Goldberg

[Trigger warning for violence and victim-blaming.]

Not content to merely defend Mel Gibson because, hey, they're friends—and who needs principles when you've got big-time pals like Melly-boy?—today Goldberg used the platform afforded her by The View to go on the attack against Gibson's victim and former partner Oksana Grigorieva, detailing her angry suspicions about why Grigorieva released the tapes instead of going to the police.

Which, it should be noted, is not even accurate. Grigorieva was issued a restraining order against Gibson on June 21, more than a week before the first of the recordings was made public. But, even if Goldberg were right, and the release of the tapes predated the restraining order, it wouldn't be the first time a survivor of violence and harassment, especially in cases where the perpetrator is a powerful and/or famous man, had to go public with evidence in order to shame the cops into taking the accusations seriously.


[Transcript below.]
There's a lot to parse here in terms of the many shapes Goldberg's victim-blaming actually takes, which I'll leave you to do in comments.

I'll just quickly note two things: 1. When Elizabeth Hasselbeck is the voice of reason, you know you've really run off the rails. 2. There probably could not have been a more perfectly absurd guest panelist to bear witness to this trainwreck than Clay Aiken.

Whoopi Goldberg: You know what? Thank god none of us are going through it. [murmurs of agreement from the rest of the panel] Do you know what I mean? There but for the grace of god go we, and, you know, I've gotten a lot of— [Joy Behar says something] Sorry?

Behar: I wouldn't be in that position. I don't—I don't really identify with this at all.

Sherri Shepherd: But maybe not that one particular position, but—

Goldberg: Well, maybe not, but—maybe you wouldn't hit somebody and you wouldn't allow someone to hit you—

Behar: That's right.

Goldberg: You wouldn't tape somebody yelling at you on the phone. People tape stuff, I mean, it's going on and on and on—

Behar: No, I would do that. If I were in her position, I would have done the exact thing …

Elizabeth Hasslebeck: She's smart to do that. I think it empowers the woman.

[crosstalk; Shephard is siding with Goldberg and Hasselbeck with Behar]

Goldberg: But then why not just take it to the police and say, "This is what's happening"… Why is it, why is it at the top… [crosstalk] See, this is the thing that bothers me, and it bothers me whenever anybody does it: If there's a beef, take it to the cops! To the people who can take care of it. To release it and—

Behar: She got a restraining order.

[crosstalk; Shephard is still siding with Goldberg and Hasselbeck with Behar]

Shephard: Why do they have these tapes?

Goldberg: Well, that's my question!

Hasselbeck: It's also reported, too, and no one knows if this is true, that there was money offered to her to not say anything that was going on, so you have to understand, money is also power and can be used as a weapon, and if he indeed was using it to try to muffle her—right?

Goldberg: Listen, nobody knows that better than me! Nobody knows that better than me! But if somebody's kicking your behind, and punching you in the face while you're holding your kid, and you don't go to the cops FIRST, you go to f— Radar Online! [laughter as Goldberg covers her mouth because she almost let slip an f-bomb]

Clay Aiken: I'm a little scared of you right now!

Goldberg: We've gotta move on!

[crosstalk; Behar and Hasselbeck are not letting it drop]

Behar: —restraining order!

Hasselbeck: New tapes were just released this morning—

Behar: It's not that she didn't cover herself. She got a restraining order.

Goldberg: But WHEN did she get the restraining order? And how long have these tapes—

[crosstalk; Aiken looks like he wants to vomit all over the table]

Hasselbeck: Well, we'll all find out because it's all gonna be in the police report pretty soon.

Goldberg: Yeah, that's what I'm waiting for.