‘The View’: Whoopi Goldberg Says The Oscars Are “A Great Thing,” Slams Critics Who Claim “It’s Just a Lot of Rich People Celebrating”

Whoopi Goldberg — who called out the Oscars for snubbing her movie Till when they announced this year’s nominations — came to the award show’s defense during this morning’s episode of The View.

The moderator’s impassioned speech was brought up as the ladies discussed their highlights from Sunday night’s (March 12) event — many of which included first-time winners such as Brendan Fraser, Ke Huy Quan, Michelle Yeoh and Jamie Lee Curtis.

“I just want to point out that the Oscars is a celebration of artistry celebrating artistry,” Goldberg began. “It’s not actors patting themselves on the back, it’s the art. Not everybody can do what actors do or what people who write music for movies or people who make the costumes. It’s an art form.”

While she added that they “don’t always get it right,” they are “heading in the right direction” by hosting award shows like the Oscars.

“So the next time you hear somebody say, ‘Oh, it’s just a lot of rich people celebrating,’ remember what you saw last night,” Goldberg said, referencing the groundbreaking moments and tears shed during the broadcast. “It wasn’t a lot of rich people celebrating. It was a lot of actors who got to the pinnacle of where we feel we can go. That is a great thing.”

Sunny Hostin jumped in, noting that Goldberg — who won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in 1990 for her work on Ghost — always told her that being a “working actor” doesn’t necessarily guarantee fame and fortune.

“If you love what you do, it’s really nice to be celebrated for it,” Goldberg doubled down. “But when you love what you do and you’ve never seen anyone in the room who looks like you, you kind of go, ‘Well, aren’t we good enough?’ Well the answer is, ‘Yeah, we are.’”

The View airs on weekdays at 11/10c on ABC.