There are always going to be certain topics that are hot-button issues and racism is one of them. On Thursday's (Dec. 18) episode of "The View" the ladies, along with special guest Laverne Cox from "Orange is the New Black," got into a heated debate about racism.
It all started when Whoopi Goldberg told the other ladies that she didn't think President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle's recent revelations with racism was that big of a deal, US Weekly reports. Goldberg explained that she thought the situations in which they described were based off ignorance instead of someone making assumptions based on skin color.
Earlier in the week, President Obama told People magazine that he was waiting for his car outside of a swanky restaurant and someone mistook him for the valet. The First Lady said she was at Target one day and a fellow shopper thought she was worker.
"You don't think it's racist if someone turns to the leader of the free world and says, 'Here can you park my car?'" Rosie Perez asked.
Goldberg explained that she believes racism is when a person is threatened with some type of harm, not being mistaken for the help. Rosie O'Donnell then jumped in and told Goldberg and the panel that she thinks racism is embedded in the American culture. O'Donnell also said she herself has experience racism as a gay woman.
"I'm a gay American whose been called an [expletive]," she said. "I have a black kid I raised Whoopi! I have a kid in my house!"
"You don't need to be black to know what racism is!" she added.
Goldberg simply chimed: "Yes you do."
There have been reports that the ladies on "The View" often bicker on and off camera. Reportedly things have gotten so tense at times that producers wanted to build a "timeout room" where the co-hosts could go to calm down.
