“They used to just keep hanging Black people,” said WhoopiGoldberg during a recent panel at the Tribeca Festival in New York City, igniting a media firestorm after comparing life in the U.S. for Black and gay Americans to oppression under the Iranian regime.
Her comments were so controversial that even her co-hosts on “The View,” including Joy Behar and Sara Haines, pushed back in disbelief. The discussion began with foreign policy, but spiraled when Whoopi claimed that repression in Tehran is no different than the experience of marginalized groups in the United States.
She cited historical atrocities like lynching and anti-LGBTQ+ violence to justify her position, sparking fierce debate on stage and online. The moment that caught the most attention was when she interrupted co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin’s critique of Iran’s human rights abuses to say, “Not if you’re Black!” — equating U.S. racial injustice with the brutality of the Iranian regime.
The backlash has been swift, with critics accusing Goldberg of historical distortion and dangerous equivalency. Commentators point to the fact that Iran has executed hundreds for dissent, banned basic freedoms, and cracked down violently on women’s rights protests — while the U.S., despite its flaws, allows open criticism, protest, and media scrutiny.
So is Whoopi right… or was this the most unhinged take in her 18 seasons on national television?
Whether you agree or not, this moment is going viral — and may be Whoopi’s most controversial yet.
