Whoopi Goldberg has returned to The View following a bout with COVID, but not without a piece of jewelry referencing the Montgomery riverfront brawl.
On Monday, Goldberg arrived on set to a standing ovation from fans who missed her during last week's premiere for Season 27 of The View. The 67-year-old went through her third battle with COVID.
As she returned to her moderator's seat, fans watching at home noticed Whoopi wearing a necklace with a silver folding chair pendant. The piece was in honor of Reggie Ray, who grabbed a white folding chair and hit several people during the infamous brawl last month.
Goldberg went on to discuss her thoughts on the brawl that created several countless viral posts.
"I have to lead this off," Goldberg began, "by saying we do not condone violence on this show. ... But there was a story that happened last month in Montgomery, Alabama where a riverboat captain [with] 227 passengers was trying to dock his boat in the spot he's supposed to be in. The co-captain, who happened to be Black, went to confront this pontoon boat that was in the way. ... So a fight ensued and something happened that we have not seen."
She continued, "Black people came out of nowhere. We dropped out of the sky. It was crazy. ... The memes are off the hook. I am wearing a folding chair."
Fans on social media erupted in joy at seeing the necklace on Whoopi Goldberg, with many applauding her for saluting Reggie Ray and his chair.
"Not Whoopi comin back to #theview with a silver folding chain necklace & talking bout the Montgomery brawl," one X user wrote.
See a few excited reactions here:
Elsewhere on The View, Goldberg reiterated that although the brawl spawned several hilarious moments, the point that people should take away from the violent melee is that people shouldn't do harm to others if they don't want to be hurt.
"What we all take away from this is, if we don't want to be hit, we do not hit other people. When somebody is doing their job, let them do their job," she said.
Reggie Ray, who was responsible for swinging the chair, was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct. After the arrest, his lawyer opened a GoFundMe page to raise $300,000 "to offset the cost of certain damages incurred by my clients and others involved in responding to the chaos at the riverfront," according to the page's description.
The rest of the description detailed the damages as "medical bills, lost wages/earnings, professional services, travel, lodging and expenses."
