Joy Behar Reveals Surprising Reason for Whoopi Goldberg’s Absence From ‘The View’

Whoopi Goldberg was absent from The View on Wednesday, Feb. 19, and, naturally, viewers wondered why she was missing.

Instead of the usual five co-hosts, only four sat at the table as the ABC talk show began on Wednesday: Joy Behar, Sara Haines, Sunny Hostin and Alyssa Farah Griffin.

Behar immediately addressed Goldberg’s absence by speaking directly to viewers.

“Unfortunately, I know you’ll be unhappy, but Whoopi is not here with us,” she explained. “She has the flu. Yes, feel better, Whoops. We miss you. Come back as soon as you can.”

Behar added, “It’s going around. We’re supposed to be wearing masks again?”

Meanwhile, Farah Griffin offered a solid bit of advice, “Sanitize your hands. Wash them 20 seconds.”

Haines then joked, “Don’t go around children!”

If Goldberg is out with the flu again on Thursday, Feb. 20, then viewers potentially won’t see her until Monday, Feb. 24, as she typically has Fridays off.

As of writing, The View has not shared when it expects her to return.

In January, viewers were concerned after Goldberg was missing from the talk show following President Donald Trump‘s inauguration. Her Jan. 21 absence was previously explained on the Jan. 13 episode of the podcast The View: Behind the Table.

“I did a layout, a fashion layout, for a company called Ami, and apparently it sort of went through the roof, so they’ve invited me to come and be part of their fashion show in Paris,” Goldberg explained.

The reason for her absence this time was definitely less fun—but hopefully, Goldberg is on the mend, and The View fans will see her again soon.