NEW YORK — New York City politicians deny Whoopi Goldberg a local bakery’s co-hosting of her birthday dessert set on “The View” because of her political beliefs. They are asking him to apologize for what he suggested on the broadcast.
Staten Island Borough President Vito Fosella joins Holterman’s Bakery owner Jill Halterman at a press conference Friday in front of the 145-year-old facility in the borough of Staten Island, where local leaders gathered. He was one of the supporters.
The Republican lawmaker said the actor and comedian “slandered and slandered” the bakery by “making something up to suit their needs.”
“Not everyone wakes up every day and thinks about politics,” he says. “Good business people don’t care about other people’s politics.”
Fossella explained that the bakery’s decades-old boiler had broken down and needed to be replaced, and the bakery didn’t want to take on a large order it couldn’t handle.
“Tell me I’m sorry and we can forget about this,” he said, without mentioning Goldberg by name.
In a few words, Holterman said the bakery has been flooded with orders in the wake of the public outcry and is overwhelmed by the support.
“I know how hard my family has worked to keep this business afloat,” she said. “I wish my father would have been here today to see this.”
Representatives for Mr. Goldberg did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment on Saturday.
Goldberg is an outspoken liberal, but recently he has refused to mention President-elect Donald Trump’s name on his show.
The controversy began Wednesday when Goldberg celebrated his 69th birthday on ABC’s talk show by sharing a tray with Charlotte Ruth. It’s a small sponge cake topped with whipped cream and a cherry, and she says it was her mother’s favorite dessert ever since she was little.
But as the co-hosts munched on the sweets, she said it took her a while to get it.
“Let me tell you, Charlotte Ruth has no political leanings and the company that made this cake refused to make it for me,” she said, the audience gasped, and her co-host One of the people jokingly spat out the cake. “They said the oven was broken, but people went to pick it up anyway, so I won’t say who made it.”
“It’s not because I’m a woman, but maybe they didn’t like my politics,” Goldberg continued. “But I know that, so it’s okay, okay? Listen, this is my mom’s celebration. Grab these and celebrate with me and my mom. Everyone, today is my birthday. Thank you for congratulating me.”
Halterman later acknowledged that Goldberg was referring to her bakery and its unique-looking sweets on air, but insisted it was a question of equipment, not politics. .
The New York-born actor nonetheless doubled down on his claims on Instagram Thursday.
“It seems a little strange that I called a few weeks before my birthday and was told they couldn’t fulfill my birthday order due to equipment failure,” Goldberg said in a follow-up video. “But when someone else called without using my name, I was somehow able to accept another 48 orders of the same dessert.”
The actor ended the video by saying that this issue will not ruin her special day.
Goldberg said, “I had a delicious dessert and had a happy and wonderful birthday, so it’s okay.” “There’s nothing better than this.”
