“The View” host Whoopi Goldberg doubled down on her claim that a Staten Island bakery was not so sweet to her because of her politics.
“There seems to be a lot of talk about the dessert I requested for my birthday show,” Goldberg said on her Instagram page. “I never mentioned the name of the bakery or the location.”
Golderg’s video is an apparent response to the backlash from the Staten Island community and borough politicians demanding that the comedienne apologize for criticizing the bakery in front of a national audience.
View this post on Instagram
The drama started when Goldberg celebrated her 69th birthday during the Nov. 13 episode of ABC’s “The View,” in front of a spread of Charlotte Russe desserts. On air, she claimed that a bakery would not make the tiny sponge cake treats because the owner “perhaps did not like” her politics.
“It does seem a little odd that when we called a few weeks before my birthday, and we were told they couldn’t process the order for my birthday because of an equipment failure,” she continued on Instagram. “But somehow they were able to accept an order of a different 48 of the same dessert when somebody else called without using my name.”
She went on to praise the desserts, calling them “delicious.”
Jill Holtermann, owner of the 145-year-old bakery, maintained in a brief interview with amNewYork Metro that she could not commit to the original order because her boiler was malfunctioning at the time.
Holtermann told amNew York Metro that she did not see Goldberg’s Instagram video, but is “happy about everyone reaching out” to support her mainstay shop. She added that she is “happy to keep her business growing and make everyone happy,” before she abruptly hung up the phone.
Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella has supported Holtermann’s in the ongoing saga. The beep put together a press conference immediately after the news of Whoopi’s comments began to spread.
Fossella said during the press conference that “the people who defamed the Holtermann family should apologize to the Holtermann family for making stuff up,”
Meanwhile, a video circulating on the social media platform Nextdoor, shows Fossella and other men in suits discussing the possibility of a Holtermann lawsuit against Goldberg.
“A simple option that comes to mind is to sue for defamation,” one man said. “We don’t have to show economic damages. We don’t have to have the establishment named, per se.”
A spokesperson for the borough president told amNewYork Metro that he is unaware of whether the business will file a suit or not.
Nearly a week after the infamous episode of “The View,” Staten Islanders continue to flock to Holtermann’s Bakery and share messages of support online for the sweet shop.
“I think it is wonderful that Staten Islanders support their own,” Elena Lasorella, who shopped at the baker on Wednesday, said.
Another islander called Goldberg’s behavior “sleazy.”
“Whoopi’s attempt to bully and disparage a mom-and-pop Staten Island institution backfired,” Karen Sugarman said. “Sad she resorts to such sleazy behavior.”
