Whoopi Goldberg says she can’t afford to stop working

Celebrities, they’re just like us: some can’t afford not to work. Whoopi Goldberg is the latest famous face to speak out about having to still work to maintain her lifestyle.

During the Tuesday, Nov. 12 episode of “The View,” the 69-year-old and her fellow co-hosts were engaged in a nuanced conversation about the current president-elect’s upcoming cabinet when she made the admission.

“I appreciate that people are having a hard time, me, too — I work for a living!” she said. “If I had all the money in the world, I would not be here, OK? So, I’m a working person, you know?”

She continued, “My kid has to feed her family. My great-granddaughter has to be fed by her family. I know it’s hard out there.”

Despite the hardships and her ability to relate to the working class, Goldberg didn’t think the economy fully justified the way some folks may have voted this year.

“We talk to people all the time who say: ‘This is what’s bothering me.’ But the thing that’s bothering everybody should not be the thing that puts 85%  of other people in danger. I think that’s what we’re saying,” she said.

Whether folks agree that the EGOT winner and her estimated net worth of $30 million (or $60 million, depending on who you’re asking) make her relatable to the working class, one can certainly agree that Goldberg stays booked and busy. In addition to her decades-long run on “The View,” her comments arrive amid a buzzy campaign for the brand Ami’s Fall/Winter ’24 collection and just weeks before the actress is set to star as Miss Hannigan in a production of the musical “”Annie” at Madison Square Garden in New York. Not to mention, she’s also currently working on the highly anticipated “Sister Act 3.”

However, Goldberg isn’t the only celebrity to admit that they need to keep working to maintain a comfortable income. In 2023, Taraji P. Henson’s comments about pay disparity went viral.

“Big bills come with what [actors and celebs] do. We don’t do this alone. The fact that we’re up here there is a whole entire team behind us, they have to get paid,” she said.

Henson explained that while 50% of her gig earnings go towards taxes, nearly 30% of the remainder go towards her team. One can only imagine the team behind Goldberg, who has been in the industry since the ‘80s.