"You all saw the news. Whoopi will be back here in two weeks."Joy Behar addresses Whoopi Goldberg's suspension from The View. And that's the way it is.
When Sharon Osbourne was pushed off The Talk for defending free speech, I said it was a slippery slope. And here we are, with Whoopi Goldberg being suspended from The View. If I belonged to the Barbara Walters School of Journalismthe graduation ceremony took place at StonehengeI'd feel compelled to regurgitate details of both instances. Suffice it to say, Osbourne defended her friend Piers Morgan's right to express an opinion about Meghan Markleand suddenly was branded a racist. Likewise, Whoopi expressed an opinion about the Holocaust which was not altogether wrong. She said, "The Holocaust isn't about race; it's about man's inhumanity to man." What a difference one word makes. Had she said, "The Holocaust isn't ONLY about race," she would have been fine, because obviously the Nazis also targeted gay people and various religious groups. One could easily consider the Holocaust under the umbrella of "man's inhumanity to man." It's like when people say "All lives matter," instead of just "Black lives" or "gay lives" or anyone group's lives matter. They can all be true simultaneously. Anyway, Whoopi apologized on the air and led a lengthy discussion with Jonathan Greenblatt of the Anti-Defamation League. Shortly after that show, ABC announced she was being put on a two-week unpaid suspension.
It's worth noting that in 25 years of vitriol, hate speech, split-screens, arguments and walk-offs, this is the first time ABC has suspended a View co-host. Things that make you go "Hmmm." I'm curiouswhen did intent become irrelevant? Clearly, Whoopi's statement was not meant to offend anyone. Her friend and frequent collaborator Bruce Vilanch points out that not only has he never found Goldberg to have even a speck of anti-Semitism, the stage name she chose is Jewish! Bill Geddie, co-creator and former executive producer of The View, said the following: "It scares me that we've come to this crossroads and now we as a culture need to get a handle on this insanity before it chokes us all." If the co-hosts are not free to have honest and open discussions, what's the point of the show? It's called The View, after all! I was curious if any of Whoopi's co-hosts would speak up on her behalf? Other than Ana Navarro, they were all predictably silent. It begs the questionwill Whoopi return? RememberSharon was initially suspended, too.
I'm a big believer in what's good for the goose is good for the gander … because I think geese are quite delicious. That said, I was disgusted when I saw photos of California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti not wearing masks at an LA Rams game. I was also disgusted that I was looking at photos from an LA Rams game! What troubled me most of all is that they were stupid enough to be photographed maskless. And then Garcetti made the ridiculous comment that when he took off his mask for a photo with Magic Johnson, he was holding his breath. Come on!
Another former official was photographed maskless, and it led to a bit of on-camera drama. Rudy Giulianiformerly America's Mayorwill be on the upcoming season of The Masked Singer. His appearance proved that he isn't opposed to ALL masksjust life-saving ones. When he took off his mask, judges Ken Jeong and Robin Thicke walked off the set in protestshades of Joy and Whoopi's reaction to Bill O'Reilly. There seems to be some question as to whether the footage will air, but here's hoping.
And, in case you haven't heard, Gus Kenworthy will be competing at the Beijing Olympics. He will be skiing for Team GBGB being Great Britain (apparently that's some sort of loophole because his mom is a Brit).
Our "Ask Billy" question comes from Harry in Chicago: "I'm sure you've seen the video of Taron Egerton dancing around in a towel. What's that all about? He sure is hot."
Whatever qualities of Taron's are in question, his hotness speaks for itself. For those who don't know, Taron posted a video on Instagram where he's dancing around in a towel to the Bee Gees' "More Than a Woman." (Insert your own joke.) With his moves, he might have been better served with "Hips Don't Lie"… but, I digress. Again … what was the point? Nobody seems to know. However, he's been whispered about as a possible Wolverine in one of those Marvel films that seem to make so much money. Until then, you can catch him on BillyMasters.com .
When we're anticipating Wolverine: The Musical, it's definitely time to end yet another column. I recently went to the opening night party of Lance Bass' Heartformerly the WeHo nightclub Rage. And, I was surprised: I had no idea Lance could fit so many hot men into his opening! I'm told it was a "soft opening"but I cannot confirm that firsthand. People like Andy Cohen, Adam Lambert, Trevor Knight, Sam Smith, Rhea Litre and oodles of others were in attendance. You can see photos from the gala evening on www.BillyMasters.comthe site that loves an opening. If you have a question for me, send it off to Billy@BillyMasters.com, and I promise to get back to you before Whoopi returns to The View. So, until next time, remember: One man's filth is another man's bible.