Whoopi Goldberg invokes Barbara Walters to silence a studio crowd after the mention of a polarizing Republican senator
‘Like a burp.’
Whoopi Goldberg recently stepped in to manage a rowdy studio audience at The View after a mention of Republican Senator Ted Cruz triggered an immediate wave of boos. The moment unfolded as the show kicked off its Hot Topics segment, where the panel discussed the Republican Midterm Convention in Texas on Wednesday, September 9, 2026.
When Goldberg mentioned that Cruz would be appearing as a guest, the audience reaction was loud and clearly negative. According to Deadline, Goldberg, serving as the moderator, did not let the dissent slide and took a firm stance to remind everyone of the show’s original purpose. This is a fascinating look at the legacy of the program, which is currently celebrating its 30th season on the air.
Goldberg pointedly invoked the memory of Barbara Walters, the creator of the show, to explain why the audience needed to maintain decorum. She noted, “This is a place where Barbara Walters made sure that anybody who wanted to come and have a good conversation could come. So we want people to come, and we want to engage them. We don’t agree with them, always. We don’t jell with them always, but we are respectful and I know you will be too.”
The goal of the show remains engagement rather than hostility
Goldberg even offered a bit of humorous advice for those in the crowd who found it difficult to remain neutral. She told the audience, “Sometimes you know stuff… It’s like a burp. It comes up and so just swallow it back down.”
The show returned on Tuesday following a month-long hiatus, and it seems the moderator is setting a clear tone for this milestone season. She was joined at the table by co-hosts Joy Behar, Sunny Hostin, Sara Haines, Alyssa Farah Griffin, and Ana Navarro.
The production is clearly looking ahead to a busy schedule, with a lineup of high-profile guests including Jessica Lange, Andrew Garfield, Sarah Paulson, Billie Lourd, and Maisie Williams. Fans can also look forward to seeing the cast of East of Eden, featuring Florence Pugh, Christopher Abbott, and Mike Faist, as well as an appearance by former co-host Sherri Shepherd.
The tension surrounding the appearance of Ted Cruz was not limited to the audience reaction
According to Fox News, when Cruz eventually appeared on the show to discuss his new book Going Further: The Incomparable Clarence Thomas, the conversation turned to topics like affirmative action and the legacy of Justice Clarence Thomas. Hostin pressed Cruz on the justice’s viewpoint regarding affirmative action.
She noted that Thomas had previously stated the practice diminishes achievements because it leads people to believe he did not earn his place at Yale. Hostin pushed back, asking why the lesson taken from his experience was that we should eliminate the remedy rather than the underlying racism that made such remedies necessary in the first place.
Cruz defended the position, arguing that while everyone supports removing barriers and expanding access, he believes the Constitution prohibits the government from discriminating based on race. He described the perspective of Justice Thomas, who sided with the 6-3 majority ruling in 2023 that targeted race-based admissions policies.
The debate became quite heated when the topic of Thomas’s early professional struggles came up. Cruz mentioned that when the future justice graduated from Yale Law School, no law firm would hire him. Goldberg interjected with a sharp observation, saying, “Welcome to being Black.”
The conversation continued to touch on constitutional history
Goldberg questioned how the justice could reconcile his views with the fact that Black people were not part of the original Constitution. Cruz responded by highlighting the significance of the Civil War, Reconstruction, and the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments. He emphasized that these additions to the Constitution were designed to end slavery, protect equal rights, and secure the right to vote for African Americans.
Goldberg concluded the segment by asking why these issues are still being debated if those protections were meant to be definitive. The interview wrapped up as the segment with Senator Cruz reached its time limit, ending a conversation that clearly demonstrated the friction that often occurs when the panel engages with guests of opposing political views.
Goldberg’s insistence on respect is clearly a strategy to keep the show functional as a place for discourse. While the audience clearly has strong feelings about figures like Cruz, the moderator is intent on maintaining a standard of civility that honors the vision established by Walters decades ago. It is a balancing act that requires the hosts to be quick on their feet while managing both the guests on stage and the energy of the people sitting in the studio chairs.
As the 30th season continues, it is likely that we will see more of these intense exchanges. What’s certain is that the audience is expected to participate, but they are also expected to keep their reactions in check for the sake of the conversation. Whether or not the audience can consistently follow that guidance remains to be seen, but Goldberg has certainly drawn a line in the sand.
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