Whoopi Goldberg has experience in the entertainment business and has seen it all. The EGOT winner, though, hasn’t been that impressed with modern US television, particularly reality TV.
Reality television gained a new flavour with the introduction of American Idol, a taste that is still popular on the 2023 TV schedule. A customary barrier between the audience and the action was eliminated when they had the opportunity to vote on who they thought would be the next singing phenomenon of the people. While some may view this as a turning moment in television history, Whoopi Goldberg bluntly asserts that it has led to “the downfall of American society.”
Downfall of Society
Though you would have expected her to criticise The Kardashians or Love is Blind, the 67-year-old EGOT winner instead attacked American Idol, calling it the “downfall of society.”
The View host said the following while filming a future documentary: You don’t know me, says Anna Nicole Smith.
The Netflix documentary, which was released in the US earlier this month, examines the life of the late Guess and Playboy model as she climbed to stardom in the 1990s. The Anna Nicole Show, a frequently odd reality series hosted by Smith, is also discussed in the documentary. According to Deadline, Goldberg was among many who spoke about Nicole Smith’s tragically brief life and her time as a tabloid figure. The panellist thought about the effect of reality television and its stars throughout this time.
The EGOT Winner pointedly stated to the camera crews during a private conversation: “You have Basketball Wives, you have the Housewives of whatever, all the Bravo shows, giving you the impression that you’re doing something wrong because you’re living your life.”
As the discussion went on, Goldberg voiced her worries, claiming that viewers of these shows watched them to “feel better” and that “people like to be judgmental.”
Day of Hot Topics
This viewpoint was expressed by The View’s outspoken host during a recent “Day of Hot Topics” edition of the well-known ABC talk show. What began as a debate over the phrases “gold digger” and “sugar daddy” during a discussion that delved into the Netflix documentary Anna Nicole Smith: You Don’t Know Me gave way to a bigger topic on judgement. Whoopi Goldberg then commented on the long-running singing competition programme as a result.
Targeted American Idol
While reality TV watchers might concur with the talk show host’s opinion, the EGOT Winner later targeted one programme in particular, even labelling it the “downfall of society.”
“I believe that as a society, we enjoy watching things to assess people. She objected, adding: “American Idol?” I’ve always believed that the start of society’s decline came with that particular programme.
The A-Lister continued to criticise reality shows as she described how much she detested how many series have emerged over the last decade, even though this may be a little harsh.
She added sharply, “I think we ran amok with it once we gave people the capacity to evaluate other people, and it’s gone out of hand.
They asked the public to choose who that person was, and in my opinion, once we did that, we entered a cycle from which we have not yet emerged.
Complex Opinion
It’s a significant assertion, but Whoopi’s opinions on American Idol did become a little more complex after speaking with The View producer Brian Teta. EGOT Winner elaborated on her argument with the qualification that her complaint was more relevant to the Fox era of the show, which seemed to be an attempt on Teta’s behalf to divert the conversation from this criticism.
The EGOT winner seems to have a more positive perspective on the ABC version of the show, with more of what is known as “The Simon Cowell Era” serving as the inspiration for this criticism. That twist only makes the discussion more compelling to consider, as it is said that Cowell staged his harshness on American Idol during his tenure on the iconic platform for pop culture.
Final Note
If a topic like this didn’t come up, The View’s Day of Hot Topics wouldn’t be complete. This kind of approach to contentious themes has occasionally been seen on the 26-year-old series, which has a history of drawing remarks from former coworkers like Rosie O’Donnell and Meghan McCain when hosts like Whoopi Goldberg are involved. While we may like watching the most recent season of Love is Blind, we can’t help but question if EGOT Winner is right.
