Michelle is a Newsweek editor based in the New York metro area. Her focus is reporting on celebrity and entertainment news. She has in-depth knowledge of pop music and fandom.

Michelle joined Newsweek in 2024 after editorial positions at Us Weekly, iHeartRadio and more. She is a cum laude graduate of Drew University. You can get in touch with Michelle by emailing [email protected]. You can find her on X @MichelleMcGahan. Languages: English.

Entertainment gossip and news from Newsweek’s network of contributors
The View‘s Whoopi Goldberg took her second day off in a row due to illness.

Cohost Joy Behar broke the news to fans on the Thursday, February 20, episode of the morning talk show — warning viewers that they should take the sickness seriously.

“Whoopi is still out with the flu. It’s going around, be careful,” Behar, 82, said on Thursday, before giving Goldberg, 69, a direct shout-out. “We hope you’re feeling better, Whoopi. Come back soon!”

Behar, who has co-hosted The View since 1997, initially explained Goldberg’s condition — and her absence — on the previous day’s episode.

“Unfortunately, I know you’ll be unhappy, but Whoopi is not here with us,” she told the audience on Wednesday, February 19, noting that the EGOT winner “has the flu.” Behar told her co-moderator to “feel better” and let her know how much she was missed. “Come back as soon as you can,” she advised.

Goldberg’s flu diagnosis prompted a brief discussion among the View cohosts about the illness, with Behar noting the flu is “going around.” Alyssa Farah Griffin, for her part, encouraged people to “sanitize” and wash their hands, while Sara Haines quipped: “Don’t go around children.”

Goldberg’s absence from The View is not unprecedented, given that the Sister Act star has been cohosting the show since 2007.

While she was out immediately following President Donald Trump’s inauguration last month, that was due to her previous commitment to a fashion show in Paris.

The Ghost actress has suffered from three bouts of COVID since 2022, all resulting in absences from The View. In February 2023, she also missed several episodes due to a “bad cold,” Behar said at the time.