Whoopi Goldberg is catching heat again after an old clip from The View started circulating online — and critics say it shows her downplaying the allegations against director Roman Polanski.
The resurfaced segment, filmed in 2009, features Goldberg discussing Polanski’s infamous 1977 case involving Samantha Geimer, who was 13 at the time. Polanski was arrested after being accused of drugging and assaulting Geimer, later pleading guilty to a lesser charge of unlawful sex with a minor before fleeing the United States ahead of sentencing. He has lived in Europe for decades since.
In the clip now making the rounds, Goldberg appears to push back on calling the case “rape,” telling co-host Sherri Shepherd: “I know it wasn’t rape rape.” She then argued that people should stick to what Polanski was charged with rather than what the public assumes, adding that the conversation should be based on “what it actually was, not what we thought it was.”
Shepherd, visibly stunned, refused to let it slide. She pointed to the details of the case — including claims that Geimer was given quaaludes and alcohol — and stressed the most important point: Geimer was a child.
Goldberg didn’t back off. She responded by suggesting the two had been having sex beforehand, which Shepherd immediately shut down, reminding her again that Geimer was 13.
The clip’s resurgence has reignited outrage across social media, with many viewers accusing Goldberg of minimizing what happened and offering cover for a director whose name has long been synonymous with Hollywood scandal.
The renewed attention is also reviving discussion about other allegations tied to Polanski. Actress Charlotte Lewis has accused him of sexually assaulting her when she was 16 in the early 1980s — a claim he denied. Lewis’ allegation has periodically resurfaced over the years as Polanski’s legal and public battles continue to follow him.
Meanwhile, Geimer — now an adult — has at times publicly expressed that she wants the case put behind her. She has defended Polanski in the past, including posing for a photo with him years later, a move that has sparked its own debate whenever it’s brought up.
But for Goldberg, the blowback isn’t about reopening the entire case — it’s about the words she used on national television. And now that the clip is viral again, critics are asking the same question all over: how did that ever make it to air without consequences?
