Whoopi Goldberg’s latest blunder on "The View" has Iranian dissidents and conservatives shaking their heads. On Wednesday, June 18, 2025, she claimed life for Black Americans mirrors the oppression of Iran’s theocratic regime. This comparison, as tone-deaf as a karaoke night gone wrong, sparked swift backlash.
Fox News reported that during a heated exchange, Goldberg equated the struggles of Black Americans to the brutal realities of Iran’s authoritarian rule. Co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin pushed back, citing Iran’s executions of gay people and jailing of women for uncovered hair.
Goldberg’s retort, doubling down on her stance, ignored the stark differences in scale and context. “It is the same,” Goldberg insisted, brushing off Griffin’s points.
She referenced historical violence against Black and gay Americans, implying it’s on par with Iran’s ongoing state-sponsored terror. This oversimplification trivializes the daily fear Iranians face under the Ayatollah’s iron fist.
Dr. Sheila Nazarian, an Iranian-American who fled Iran in 1985, called Goldberg’s remarks “deeply misguided.” Her family escaped when she was six after her father was marked for death by the regime. Nazarian’s lived experience exposes the absurdity of equating U.S. challenges with Iran’s systemic tyranny.
“While racism is a serious challenge in the U.S., comparing this to a totalitarian theocracy is inaccurate,” Nazarian said.
Iran’s government controls speech, movement, and even dress, often with torture or execution as punishment. Goldberg’s platform as a free-speaking woman of color starkly contrasts with Iran’s silenced masses.
Iranian-American journalist Lisa Daftari also aimed, noting that Goldberg’s very ability to debate on national TV proves her freedoms. In Iran, such dissent could land her in prison—or worse. Daftari’s jab underscores how Goldberg’s rhetoric undermines the gravity of Iran’s human rights crisis.
Iran’s regime, deeply unpopular, faces regular anti-government protests. The 2022 death of Mahsa Amini, arrested for not wearing a hijab, ignited nationwide unrest.
Goldberg’s failure to acknowledge this context makes her comparison not just wrong but offensive to those risking their lives for freedom.
“In 2025, the United States is nothing like Iran,” Griffin argued, pointing to her casual attire as evidence. Iran’s morality police would have her in cuffs for less. Goldberg’s response—“Not if you’re Black”—ignores the structural differences between a flawed democracy and a theocratic dictatorship.
Goldberg’s claim dismisses Iran’s state-controlled oppression, where peaceful protesters face imprisonment or death. Nazarian noted that Iranians can be “tortured, raped, or executed” for speaking out. This reality, far from America’s imperfections, deserves better than a careless soundbite.
This isn’t Goldberg’s first brush with controversy. In 2022, she was suspended from "The View" for claiming the Holocaust wasn’t about race but “man’s inhumanity.” Her apology for misspeaking followed, but the pattern of clumsy comparisons persists.
“The Holocaust wasn’t about race,” Goldberg said then, a statement that drew widespread condemnation.
Her latest Iran analogy suggests a blind spot for historical and cultural nuance. Conservatives see this as peak woke overreach, where grievance culture distorts reality.
Goldberg’s defenders might argue she’s highlighting America’s racial struggles. But equating them to Iran’s state-enforced terror stretches empathy to the breaking point. It’s a rhetorical swing that misses the mark and alienates those who know Iran’s horrors firsthand.
The View’s debate could’ve been a chance to discuss racism and global oppression thoughtfully. Instead, Goldberg’s hyperbole shut down nuance, leaving Iranian dissidents to clean up the mess. Her insistence on equivalence feels more like posturing than insight.
