Whoopi Goldberg faces scrutiny over renewed comments on Holocaust

Whoopi Goldberg is facing fresh scrutiny for remarks about the Holocaust after she previously drew backlash for claiming the genocide was not “about race.”

In an interview with the Sunday Times published Saturday, “The View” co-host told the London-based newspaper that the Holocaust “wasn’t originally” based on race.

“Remember who they were killing first. They were not killing racial; they were killing physical. They were killing people they considered to be mentally defective. And then they made this decision,” she said.

Times journalist Janice Turner pushed back, noting to the 67-year-old actress and comedian that the race laws Nazi Germany officials implemented targeting Jewish people.

When Turner reiterated that “Nazis saw Jews as a race,” Goldberg replied: “Yes, but that’s the killer, isn’t it? The oppressor is telling you what you are. Why are you believing them? They’re Nazis. Why believe what they’re saying?” 

“It doesn’t change the fact that you could not tell a Jew on a street,” Goldberg added. “You could find me. You couldn’t find them.”

Goldberg made the comments in an interview promoting her new film “Till” where she plays civil rights activist Mamie Till-Mobley’s mother.

The actress’s latest remarks have sparked renewed backlash on social media. 

“Whoopi Goldberg – 1 million Jews were murdered in Auschwitz alone, so take a lesson from @AuschwitzMuseum,” Boundless Israel co-founder Aviva Klompas wrote on Twitter. “Hitler targeted Jews for annihilation arguing that we are a distinct and inferior race. Stop distorting history. It’s offensive to every Jew murdered in the Holocaust.” 

“This is one of the times where I think someone should force Whoopi Goldberg to go to a Holocaust museum and learn about the Nuremberg laws,” tweeted video game designer Luc Bernard.

The Hill has reached out to ABC News for comment.

Goldberg, an Academy Award winner, was previously suspended by “The View” earlier this year after making similar comments about race and the Holocaust. She later apologized for those comments.

ABC suspended Goldberg for a two-week period for her previous remarks, with ABC News president Kim Godwin saying in a statement she ordered Goldberg to take time off “to reflect and learn about the impact of her comments.” 

“The entire ABC News organization stands in solidarity with our Jewish colleagues, friends, family and communities,” Godwin said at the time.

Goldberg said in apologizing earlier this year that her support for Jewish people would “never waiver.”

“I’m sorry for the hurt I have caused,” Goldberg wrote then.