Whoopi Goldberg, the 70-year-old EGOT-winning actress, revealed on Thursday’s The View Behind the Table podcast that she would love to take on a role in government if the opportunity ever arose. The actress, known for her outspoken views and work on The View, surprised the show’s producer Brian Teta with her admission that she has long been interested in serving as a U.S. ambassador.
“I know this is the craziest thing ever, and it will never happen while The View is going on, but I still want to represent our country in another country. I’ve always wanted to be an ambassador,” Goldberg shared when asked by Teta about her future aspirations. Her comments came on her birthday, and they sparked a candid conversation about her love for the U.S. and her desire to improve international relations.
Goldberg elaborated on her thoughts, saying, “I think there are terrific things about this country. I know we’re not perfect, and there’s a lot of stuff we’ve got to fix. It’s what I’ve always said: There are great things about us and terrible things about us. We fix what we can, and sometimes we fix it really well, and sometimes we don’t fix it well enough.”
The Ghost and Sister Act star explained that her desire to become an ambassador stems from her passion for bridging the gap between the U.S. and other countries, particularly in light of the current political climate. “I want to go to other countries to smooth over relations regarding public perception of the United States,” she said. “Especially as other countries are dealing with us these days and their reactions to us and how we are being seen by them.”
Goldberg emphasized that the American people often don’t have a voice in these global perceptions, adding, “I want to bring it back to the people of the U.S., what the people are doing. They don’t have any say in it.”
Teta, who pointed out that Goldberg is a patriotic American, noted that while she may not always agree with the direction of the country, her love for it remains strong. Goldberg responded, “I do, and I love it because this is one of the few countries where you can say, ‘I don’t like that,’ and you don’t get hamstrung, you don’t get arrested on the streets.”
She continued, “That’s the America I grew up in. I’ve always had friends who are Republicans, and I still do, but this idea that we can’t disagree without it being life-threatening, that’s not America.” Teta humorously concluded the episode by expressing his excitement over the idea of “Ambassador Whoopi Goldberg,” joking that the concept of Goldberg with diplomatic immunity would be “very exciting” to him.
Currently, the U.S. government has 195 ambassador positions, as noted by the American Foreign Service Association. These roles, often presidentially appointed, involve representing the president abroad, conveying American interests, and fostering diplomatic relations with host countries.
While Goldberg may not be heading to a diplomatic post just yet, next week she will be representing the U.S. in a less formal capacity when she travels to Italy to film a role on Un Posto Al Sole, Italy’s longest-running soap opera.
