‘Came Very Close to Leaving the Earth’: Whoopi Goldberg’s Secret Hospital Battle – The Shocking Truth Behind Her Absence!

A Sudden and Alarming Absence

Fans of The View first noticed something was amiss when Whoopi Goldberg, a fixture on the show since 2007, vanished from the panel without explanation. Week after week, her empty chair became a topic of fervent discussion among viewers, with social media buzzing with questions and theories. Was she secretly preparing to host the Oscars? Had she left the show for good? The speculation reached a fever pitch, but the truth was far more alarming than anyone could have imagined.

On February 20, 2019, co-host Joy Behar addressed the rumors head-on during a live episode of The View. “Whoopi has been out because she’s been very sick with pneumonia,” Behar announced, putting to rest the wild conjecture about Goldberg’s whereabouts. “She’s recovering, but she’s not quite there yet. We miss her, and we know you do too.” Behar also took a moment to debunk the Oscar-related rumors, clarifying that Goldberg was focused solely on her health. The news shocked fans, but it was only the beginning of the story.

Credit : Desiree Navarro

Whoopi Goldberg is on the mend after a serious bout of pneumonia.

The co-host gave an update on her condition via video message on Friday’s episode of The View.

“Hey, yes, it’s me,” she began. “I am here. I am up and moving around — not as fast as I’d like to be, but I am okay. I’m not dead. Here’s what happened.”

Goldberg, 63, went on to reveal that she had pneumonia in both lungs and was septic.

“Yes, I came very close to leaving the earth,” she admitted. “Good news, I didn’t. Thank you for all of your good wishes, all of the wonderful things that people have been saying. Even people who aren’t huge fans of mine have actually been saying nice thing about me.”

“Ladies, I cannot wait to see y’all,” she added, addressing her fellow panelists. “This has been interesting and I’ll tell you about it when we’re all at the table. To everybody, see you soon.”

Goldberg has not hosted the show since Feb 6.

The star’s illness was first addressed during the Feb. 20 episode, as fans began to question where Goldberg was.

“She’s not feeling well,” Joy Behar said during the broadcast. “She’s actually recovering from pneumonia. I saw her last night and she’s very funny still, and we had big laughs. She’s getting there, she’s on the mend.”

Behar, 76, also debunked the rumor that Goldberg — who has hosted the Academy Awards four times throughout her career — was secretly prepping for the awards show, which was then just a few days away.

“There are all these conspiracy theories on the Internet that she’s not really sick and she’s secretly preparing to host the Oscars,” Behar said. “She’s not even well enough to host this show right now, let alone the Oscars.”