Why Whoopi Goldberg Was Missing From 'The View' Season Premiere

The View officially came back to TV this week to kick off its 27th season—but one co-host was notably missing from her usual seat at the table.

Whoopi Goldberg unfortunately had to miss out on the season premiere that aired Tuesday, Sept. 5, following another run-in with COVID-19.

Co-host Joy Behar explained Goldberg's absence at the beginning of the episode on Tuesday, telling viewers, "As you can see, Whoopi is not here, she has COVID. Yes, it's back, it's back."

Noting that the Sister Act star is "on the mend," Behar insisted, "she's on the tail end" of the virus and will "probably be back this week."

"But, sorry she's not here, for those of you that were looking forward to seeing her," Behar, 80, stated.

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It's definitely not the first time that a stint with COVID has caused Goldberg to miss out on the show, as the 67-year-old previously missed several episodes after testing positive in November 2022. She also contracted the disease back in January of that same year.

Luckily, the rest of the familiar faces on The View set were there to kick off the new season on Tuesday, as Behar was joined by Sunny Hostin, Sara Haines, Ana Navarro and Alyssa Farah Griffin.

"We're back," Behar exclaimed to the audience during Tuesday's episode. "Thank you, this is the premiere show of our 27th year on the air."

"I was here for all of it, except for two, when they canned me. When they sacked my behind," she teased, referring to her temporary departure from the show in 2013.

But this season, the hosts are already back to business, as they chatted around a new wooden Hot Topics table on Tuesday, where they will hopefully be joined by Goldberg very soon.

The View airs weekdays at 11 a.m. ET/PT on ABC.

Next: Why Robin Roberts Will Be Absent from 'GMA' in September