Whoopi Goldberg Defends King Charles: 'It's Not His Job' to Mend William and Harry's Relationship

It was a bizarre morning on The View as the ladies largely ignored the 74th Primetime Emmy Awards in favor of a hypothetical-filled discussion about the British monarchy.

Though moderator Whoopi Goldberg kicked off Hot Topics with a nod to Sheryl Lee Ralph, who brought down the house with her acceptance speech for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy, she quickly moved on to the reunion of Princes William and Harry in the wake of Queen Elizabeth II's death.

"Could this reunion mend some fences?" asked Whoopi, before turning her attention to other shifts within the monarchy. "As soon as he was announced as king, something the royals have been trying to keep from happening has actually happened ... One of the things you could never have was a divorced king or a divorced queen. And now, they have both. So the change happened instantly. So, changes are coming."

Joy Behar then further veered away from the main question, insisting Meghan Markle shouldn't have turned to "the institution," as Markle called it, for help if it was the root of her problem. "If you need a shrink, you go to a psychotherapist," said Behar. "You don't go to Oprah."

When Sunny Hostin and Alyssa Farah Griffin attempted to get the train back on the tracks, their efforts came up short. "I hope that you're right," Griffin told Hostin, "That [the king] ends up being the person who brings the family back together."

"I don't know that's his job," interrupted Whoopi. "I don't think that's his job to put them back together."

WILLIAM & HARRY UNITED AFTER QUEEN’S PASSING: The Prince of Wales and Duke of Sussex reunited alongside Princess Kate and Meghan Markle, marking the first time together in public since Harry and Meghan stepped down as senior members of the royal family – #TheView discusses. pic.twitter.com/UyTkEV7HPZ

— The View (@TheView) September 13, 2022

Griffin then brought up a video of King Charles "bossing around help" on his first day on the throne. "It plays right into what some Americans gripes are with the monarchy," she said. "Like, you're not above helping these people."

"I'm sorry. You — no," replied Whoopi, her tone making it clear that she was not messing around. "He is the king, and that's what kings do."

"Presidents — Americans don't do that because we all started here as equals. That was the point," she continued. "In England that's not the point. They are the king, and everybody else is them."

Whoopi's intensity may have quieted Griffin, but Hostin wasn't done quite yet. "But in terms of Charles bringing his family together, those are his boys. And I think it's really important he does that," she said, to which Whoopi offered a three-word rebuttal: "Not his job."

Elsewhere on The View... Clerks star Kevin Smith detailed his very eventful morning, which involved "smok[ing] a joint," going to Bed Bath & Beyond, and excitedly texting his mom that he was going to be on the daytime show. "I guess a lot of people I know watch The View," he said. "If I were trying to get laid by the geriatric set, this is the day."

Smith proceeded to read off shout-outs to people in his life who watch The View, from his in-laws (They "watch this show every morning right before they have sex") to the mother of Clerks documentary director Malcolm Ingram, also known as "the Joy Behar of Toronto."

After a day of weird energy, Smith's all-out chaos was exactly what The View needed to turn things around. It's not a sentiment expressed often, but thank god for Kevin Smith.

Claire Spellberg Lustig is the Senior Editor at Primetimer and a scholar of The View. Follow her on Twitter at @c_spellberg.