Whoopi Goldberg Tells Critics of Drag Performers at Olympics to “Turn the TV Off”
courtesy via (the daily beast)
Whoopi Goldberg expressed her frustration over the controversy surrounding the use of drag performers in the Opening Ceremony of the Olympics on this morning’s episode of The View. The longtime moderator advised those upset by the performance to simply “turn the TV off.”
The Olympics kicked off in Paris over the weekend, and religious conservatives have been outraged by a segment featuring drag performers, calling it a “blasphemous take of Leonardo Da Vinci’s The Last Supper.” However, Goldberg clarified that the inspiration for the performance was actually drawn from “The Feast of the Gods,” a 17th-century Dutch painting depicting the Greek Olympic gods, reported Fox News.
“Come on, y’all. It’s the Olympics. Stop!” Goldberg fumed. “They’re not trying to do anything except talk about the history. They’re showing you the history.” Co-host Sara Haines criticized those who misunderstood the performance’s message of inclusion. “I get so tired of being beaten over the head with religious messages while someone walks along their life not living like Jesus at all,” she said.
Alyssa Farah Griffin added that the moment perfectly embodied French culture. “They lean into their culture [at the Olympics] and you’re meant to learn something,” she said. “I’m sorry, there is nothing more Parisian than Marie Antoinette’s head cut off, metal music playing, and drag queens. That is French. That is what they’re gonna do.”
Griffin continued, “There’s something for everyone. If you didn’t like one thing, tune into something else.” Goldberg supported Griffin’s stance, encouraging viewers to change the channel if they don’t like what they’re watching.
“If you’re not happy with something and it bothers you, don’t take 20 hours to write an email. Just turn the TV off! Watch something else. Put the newspaper down. Don’t look at the pictures. These are choices,” she said. “If you don’t like it, go to something else. You don’t have to stay. You have it in your power to make the change.” The View airs on weekdays at 11/10c on ABC.
