Thursday was apparently a slow day for the liberal ladies of ABC’s The View since they occupied their first segment by hyperventilating about people who expected former First Lady Michelle Obama to show the office of the president respect and attend President Trump’s second inauguration. The View cast were eager to blame it on sexism and suggested women uniquely had to deal with people putting pressure on them to attend events they didn’t want to.
“So, former First Lady Michelle Obama used her latest podcast episode to take on all the misinformation about her decision, HER DECISION to skip the last inauguration,” moderator and friend to the Obamas, Whoopi Goldberg huffed.
After playing a soundbite of Obama on her podcast, Goldberg shouted: “My question about all of this is why does she owe anybody an explanation? … Why is it my business?! She didn't go!”
“Well, there were rumors that she was having trouble in her marriage. She’s clearing it up,” Behar defended Obama. Later quipping: “If I have to listen to Trump babble on for two hours I'd have menstrual cramps too.”
Co-host Sunny Hostin took a break from blaming everything on racism and instead chose to blame this sexism, which drew wide agreement from the rest of the cast:
HOSTIN: You know why -- I think it's because women are always expected to say “yes,” and expected to do things even when they don't want to do them. I remember in my 20s and my 30s I didn't know the power of “no.” I just -- expected -- people expected me to say ‘yes” to almost everything.
BEHAR: Is that how you got pregnant all those times?
HOSTIN: Yeah, pretty much! Yeah! Pretty much!
[Laughter]
But in your 40s and certainly now in my 50s I say “no” when I don't want to do anything and it comes with wisdom and it comes with --
BEHAR: Age.
SARA HAINES: Time.
BEHAR: It comes with age for me.
HOSTIN: And time. And freedom. It gives you.
Goldberg refused to acknowledge the fact that former presidents and their spouses were expected to attend the inauguration of their predecessors if they’re medically able to.
“I don't understand why you would go somewhere and be uncomfortable. See, I don't want to be uncomfortable. If I know I'm going someplace and it's not a good thing for me, I don't do it because it’s not good for me!” Goldberg continued to shout.
Pretend independent Sara Haines argued that Obama didn’t have any obligations because she was no longer the first lady. “[W]hen you're the acting first lady I think the obligations are different and probably should be different. But when you are out of office, you are out of office, peace,” she proclaimed while holding up the peace sign.
Faux conservative Alyssa Farah Griffin agreed that sexism played a role, declaring: “But people often, if a woman decides to make a decision and a public figure they're going to jump to the worst possible conclusion.”
Goldberg was so desperate to argue that there was some kind of double standard at play in the situation that she ridiculously claimed that no one in the media had ever made an issue out of Melania Trump not appearing somewhere with her husband. Her assertion was so insane that both Behar and Hostin had to admit that they’ve mocked the Trumps about it on the show:
GOLDBERG: Well, let me ask you this because I notice and maybe I'm just making stuff up but I noticed when Melania doesn't go anywhere, people don't flip out the way they been flipping out here.
HOSTIN: No, they talk about it too.
GOLDBERG: Well, we joke about it but we – But she is not obligated. She is not obligated to explain why she doesn't go and I don't understand why one and not the other.
BEHAR: Well, it’s all over Twitter when she doesn’t – they think she's in witness protection.
Yes, Whoopi, you were “just making stuff up.”
The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read:
ABC’s The View
April 24, 2025
11:03:19 a.m. EasternGOLDBERG: So, former First Lady Michelle Obama used her latest podcast episode to take on all the misinformation about her decision, HER DECISION to skip the last inauguration.
(…)
11:04:09 a.m. Eastern
GOLDBERG: My question about all of this is why does she owe anybody an explanation? I don't understand why --
JOY BEHAR: Well, there were rumors that she was having trouble in her marriage. She’s clearing it up.
GOLDBERG: But, again, this is the fourth time she's had to do this and I don't understand why if she says I didn't go, why do I have to know, do I -- Why do I have to ask you, what did you get your friend this month or did you not go because -- why is it my business?! She didn't go!
BEHAR: If I have to listen to Trump babble on for two hours I'd have menstrual cramps too.
[Laughter and applause]
SUNNY HOSTIN: You know why -- I think it's because women are always expected to say “yes,” and expected to do things even when they don't want to do them. I remember in my 20s and my 30s I didn't know the power of “no.” I just -- expected -- people expected me to say ‘yes” to almost everything.
BEHAR: Is that how you got pregnant all those times?
HOSTIN: Yeah, pretty much! Yeah! Pretty much!
[Laughter]
But in your 40s and certainly now in my 50s I say “no” when I don't want to do anything and it comes with wisdom and it comes with --
BEHAR: Age.
SARA HAINES: Time.
BEHAR: It comes with age for me.
HOSTIN: And time. And freedom. It gives you.
GOLDBERG: Really? See, I must be a freak of nature because
HAINES: Well, you’re different.
GOLDBERG: Because “no” -- I don't understand why you would go somewhere and be uncomfortable. See, I don't want to be uncomfortable. If I know I'm going someplace and it's not a good thing for me, I don't do it because it’s not good for me!
HOSTIN: Were you always like that?
GOLDBERG: Always.
ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN: But see, she doesn’t go and then there’s people jump to the worst conclusion that her marriage was falling apart. And I literally just on Instagram the other day saw pictures of – or video of her and President Obama on a date in Georgetown holding hands and out together.
But people often, if a woman decides to make a decision and a public figure they're going to jump to the worst possible conclusion.
GOLDBERG: Well, let me ask you this because I notice and maybe I'm just making stuff up but I noticed when Melania doesn't go anywhere, people don't flip out the way they been flipping out here.
[Applause]
[Crosstalk]
HOSTIN: No, they talk about it too.
GOLDBERG: Well, we joke about it but we – But she is not obligated. She is not obligated to explain why she doesn't go and I don't understand why one and not the other.
BEHAR: Well, it’s all over Twitter when she doesn’t – they think she's in witness protection.
[Laughter]
HAINES: Yeah, but I would say it actually brings you to one of my points, which is when you're the acting first lady I think the obligations are different and probably should be different. But when you are out of office, you are out of office, peace [hold up peace sign]. Like, she is allowed to.
HOSTIN: Did you say peace?!
GOLDBERG: Did she just do?
HAINES: Peace.
BEHAR: How do you do it?
HAINES [while making peace sign]: Peace. Peace. Peace.
[Laughter]
HOSTIN: Peace out.
GOLDBERG: You are scaring me!
HAINES: I know. I know. But I think that it's kind of what Sunny said – thank you – he power of “no” that drawing your boundaries, that we are kind of preprogrammed, it's not just expected of us, I think it's in us to just -- that's how we please. That's how we succeed. That's how she show up. To let go of those “what you should do” [uses air quotes] takes decades, it takes wisdom, purpose, time.
GOLDBERG: Do you realize if you live by what you should do, by other people's standards, you will never move forward.
HOSTIN: Yeah.
HAINES: Right, but I think it takes you – for me, not for you, it took me a long time to even hear that I was doing what I should – I had dimmed my vice so much that I was autopiloting things that was, like, why does this not feel good?
FARAH GRIFFIN: You take the path of least resistance often even if it's not the best thing for you. I definitely fell to that.
HOSTIN: Same.
BEHAR: There’s such a thing as obligation and family.
GOLDBERG: Well, that’s different obligation is different. She was not obligated to go to this and I –
HAINES: Maybe you should tell her.
GOLDBERG: Well, I do. I say to people.
HOSTIN: You did say that.
GOLDBERG: It's important that we recognize that, not just women, but just as human beings. We are not obligated to do those things which are harmful to us or that do not help us go forward.
HOSTIN: Or cause discomfort.
GOLDBERG: Yes, you're not obligated. And what you do sometimes is you teach your children to do that, so maybe that's something we have to remind people to stop doing, because it's not – What other people think of you is not as important as what you think of yourself.
HOSTIN: Absolutely.
GOLDBERG: Because nobody can kick your behind like you can kick your own behind.
HOSTIN: Absolutely.
