Whoopi Goldberg made it clear she’s over the Meghan Markle headlines, and she didn’t hold back during Wednesday’s episode of The View.
The 69-year-old actress and talk show host bluntly dismissed a Hot Topics segment about the Duchess of Sussex, telling her co-hosts she’d rather sleep than weigh in on the controversy.
“Wake me up when you’re done!” Goldberg said, cutting off Sunny Hostin mid-sentence as the panel debated whether it was inappropriate for Markle, 43, to use her HRH title on a note to her friend, IT Cosmetics founder Jamie Kern Lima.
The debate came after Lima revealed on her podcast that Markle had sent her a gift basket last year with a note reading, “With Compliments of HRH the Duchess of Sussex.” Although Markle and Prince Harry stepped down from their senior royal roles in 2020, they technically retained their HRH (His/Her Royal Highness) titles—but agreed not to use them in any public-facing context.
Hostin defended Markle, saying the duchess had done nothing wrong. “The agreement that was made did not remove the title. It restricted the way it was to be used. It was not to be used publicly,” she said. “And she was giving a friend some strawberry jam that she made herself and she wrote, ‘HRH The Duchess of Sussex.’ That was a private gift.”
But Goldberg wasn’t convinced the discussion was worth the airtime. After letting her co-hosts debate, she sarcastically asked, “Can I ask a really dumb question that I just woke up for?”
“Are we that boring?” Joy Behar teased.
“It’s the subject matter,” Goldberg replied dryly, before shifting the focus to Lima, who had chosen to publicize the royal note. “To me, I think if someone gives you a gift … I don’t feel like she needed to show that,” Goldberg said.
Hostin complimented Goldberg’s take, saying, “Whoopi, that was very insightful.” The Sister Act star replied with a shrug: “Well yeah, I’m old enough to be insightful.”
While the table was divided, Alyssa Farah Griffin agreed Markle’s move was “a little cringe,” but also called Prince William “petty” for reportedly considering stripping the Sussexes of their HRH titles once he becomes king. “Like, you only live once. Make up with your brother and his wife,” Griffin added.
Sara Haines compared the situation to someone insisting on being called “Doctor” in casual settings. “I would never refer to myself as Her Royal Highness,” she said.
See how the moment went down in the video below.
Despite the polarized views, Goldberg’s disinterest made headlines of its own, and proved she’s not losing sleep over royal drama.
