Whoopi Goldberg Shuts Down Tara Setmayer's Complaints About Hypocritical 'Hollywood Elites'

Whoopi Goldberg renewed her defense of the Academy Thursday morning during yet another tense discussion about Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars. When guest co-host Tara Setmayer insisted the altercation is evidence that "Hollywood elites are a bunch of hypocrites," Whoopi stepped in to shield her fellow actors and Academy members from the criticism. "As one of those people, I gotta stop you," said The View's longtime moderator. "I just want to stop with this 'elite' stuff."

This morning, Whoopi stood by the Academy's claim that it asked Smith to leave the Oscars after the assault, but he refused (sources close to the situation disputed this version of events, telling TMZ that producers informed Smith he could remain in the Dolby Theatre). When Setmayer and Sunny Hostin asked why Smith was "asked," rather than told, to leave, Whoopi insisted she's reading too much into the Academy's Wednesday afternoon statement. "I don't think that's how it went down," she said. "I'm gonna tell you why he was given the option. Okay, so, they come back from break. Now, if he's in some sort of state, and he's struggling and you're trying to get him out the door — and it's still on camera."

"Listen, we work a live show every day," Whoopi continued. "Stuff happens, and it comes out your mouth, and you do something stupid, and you've got to sit there and deal with it. I can't imagine what was going on — I wasn't there. I can't imagine what was going on back there. But I do know the only person anybody should be focusing on, in my opinion, is Will [Smith]."

Whoopi added while the Academy acknowledged "that maybe they could have done a better job" handling the situation in the moment, people in the audience were too surprised to react. "We here know how fast stuff happens," she said, before referencing Hostin's now-infamous COVID test debacle. "Stuff happens, and I'm just saying — listen, those people who were there were stunned."

"But then they gave him a standing ovation, Whoopi, which I think goes back to why some people feel like Hollywood elites are a bunch of hypocrites," replied Setmayer. "Because they go out there and they give these statements of moral superiority about things, political statements, and then they're giving him a standing ovation after he just assaulted Chris Rock!"

CHRIS ROCK SAYS HE’S STILL “PROCESSING WHAT HAPPENED”: The comedian broke his silence on what happened between him and Will Smith at the #Oscars as the Academy says Smith refused to leave after the altercation – #TheView co-hosts and @TaraSetmayer react. https://t.co/e6mZPfg8Kd pic.twitter.com/AEG1jm7xIX

— The View (@TheView) March 31, 2022

Setmayer may not have realized it in the moment, but that is exactly the type of remark designed to enrage Whoopi, who insisted she has to "stop" her fellow panelist. "That has nothing to do with why people do!" said the EGOT winner. "Let me ask you a question. In the moment — so, you're sitting there: you've gone, 'Ooh, what the — oh, yeah!' And you're up before you even know you've done something stupid."

When Setmayer pushed back, Whoopi shut her down, saying, "I'm telling you what folks have said who were there." She proceeded to remind Setmayer that "a lot of us work for a living," and the vast majority of Academy members are by no means "elite" or ultra-wealthy. "It really pisses me off when people start to talk about people who work in Hollywood — not just actors, but all the other folks," she said. "So please, when you're talking about actors, be specific. If you're pissed off about somebody or how they act, don't put it on all of us! Because that's like saying, 'All Black people like chicken.'"

"I'm talking about how average Americans look at that. And it does come across that way," replied Setmayer. "I think that there's an argument to be made about the industry. And when you're clapping and giving a standing ovation after someone was just assaulted someone on live television and now you're applauding it—"

"Just take a minute. Do you think they really were applauding him hitting Chris Rock, or is it possible—" fired back Whoopi, making her feelings about Setmayer's lack of Hollywood experience clear. "I think it was just — people just got up and did dumb stuff! Because they were like, 'Okay, everybody's up.' Again, I wasn't there, but I give the benefit of the doubt because I've been in these situations."

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