Whoopi Goldberg has issued an important warning to social media users: Don’t believe everything you read.
The EGOT winner delivered the PSA during Thursday’s episode of The View, as she and her co-hosts addressed the newly released documents related to Jeffrey Epstein's sex abuse case. The much-anticipated files featured the names of more than 170 individuals, including Epstein’s accusers and associates. Prior to the release, several social media accounts began sharing bogus Epstein “lists” that contained the names of high-profile figures such as Goldberg.
Of course, she didn’t waste any time debunking not only the Epstein rumor, but a few others that have been circulating.
“I’m just gonna say, there’s been a lot of stuff recently. I don’t know what I’ve done to anybody, but apparently there are a lot of these kind of sites that are…satire sites,” she said. “But people don’t realize that they can be harmful, so let me just get my part out. I have to explain, because there was a fake list, and I’m on it.”
The View co-host Sunny Hostin jokingly asked Goldberg if she was ever one Little St. James, Epstein’s private island that was widely known as “Pedophile Island.”
“Apparently. I don’t know. I mean, they said I was on the island, and I’m like, ‘I don’t go anywhere!’” Goldberg responded, before tackling other rumors. “I never got kicked out of Gordon Ramsay’s restaurant. I never got kicked out of Guy Fieri’s restaurant,” she said while looking at the camera. “I didn’t get kicked off Bill Maher’s show. I didn’t get into a fight with Oprah backstage here at The View. I mean, it just goes—it’s insane. It goes on and on and on. … Sites get away with posting all kinds of garbage and they call it satire.”
Goldberg went to warn people to be very cautious when posting satirical content.
“Once someone is cleared of your insanity, they’re going to call their lawyer on you. ... Don’t believe unless I tell you about me," she emphasized. "You’ll know if I’m doing something. I’ll let you know. I have nothing to hide. I don’t care what people think. … It’s so insane and you know I don’t go anywhere.”
The first batch of unsealed Epstein documents were released on Wednesday as part of a lawsuit filed by Epstein survivor Virginia Virginia Giuffre. The plaintiff filed a complaint against Epstein’s former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted of recruiting, grooming, and abusing young girls along with Epstein.
Wednesday’s unsealed documents included a wide range of names across the political, business, and entertainment world. Among those listed were former presidents Donald Trump and Bill Clinton, Prince Andrew, Leonardo DiCaprio, Bruce Willis, Stephen Hawking, and Michael Jackson.
Additional documents related to the case will be released in the coming days.
