Whoopi Goldberg is ready to ring in her 10th anniversary at “The View.” The Oscar-winning actress will return as the moderator for the show’s 21st season this fall, Variety has learned.
Her contract renewal is an important one for ABC, as Goldberg has been the glue that’s kept “The View” together since creator Barbara Walters retired in 2014.
By focusing on political stories under Trump’s presidency, ratings for “The View” this season are at its highest in three years. The show averaged 2.6 million viewers last week, beating “The Talk,” which tends to veer away from politics in favor of pop culture. And “The View” has landed big guests over the last year, such as Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, Senator Elizabeth Warren, and former secretary of state Condoleezza Rice.
A spokesperson for ABC declined to comment.
Goldberg joined “The View” in the late summer of 2007, and she’s been at the Hot Topics table for the highs (such as Obama’s historic presidency) and lows (a revolving door of cast changes). She’s now spent more time on the show than almost any other co-host, surpassing Meredith Vieira and Star Jones (nine years each). The only two that have been on longer are Joy Behar, who’s still part of the ensemble after launching with the original cast in 1997, and Walters, who spent 17 years on the show.
Goldberg is also a prolific film and television producer, running her company One Ho Productions. Her upcoming credits include the big-screen dramas “9/11” and “Rio.”
The 21st season of “The View” starts in early September.
