Outraged Whoopi Goldberg rips up legal note from ‘The View’ producers urging correction to false Trump claim
Whoopi Goldberg ripped up a legal correction from production staff after making an autopen “joke” about President Trump on “The View.”
Goldberg had been discussing Trump’s appearance on CBS’s “60 Minutes” with her co-stars on Monday’s episode of the ABC talk show before her outrage ensued.
Sunny Hostin brought up how Trump said during the sit-down that he didn’t know anything about Binance founder Changpeng “CZ” Zhao’s pardon — even though he pardoned the convicted crypto billionaire last month.
“The Trump family has made about $1.8 billion, profited off of this government and he said that Joe Biden didn’t know who he was pardoning using an autopen,” Hostin said, referring to how Biden’s staffers used an autopen to sign several pardons during the last moments of his presidency.
“How come you don’t know who this guy is?” Hostin asked of Trump, prompting Goldberg to chime in with a joke, “Because he used an autopen.”
An autopen is a machine that replicates a person’s signature using a pen or pencil attached to a mechanical arm. The device is used to sign documents in bulk.
The co-hosts moved on from the topic and were on a new conversation when Hostin was seen sliding a piece of paper over to Goldberg for her to read.
“What the hell? What?” Goldberg said with surprise before reading the note aloud. “We don’t know if Trump used an autopen to pardon.”
Goldberg, 69, angrily shouted, “It was a joke!” before ripping the note to shreds.
“I’m sorry. The hardest thing about this job now is no one understands nuance,” Goldberg complained. “You know when you hear a joke, when somebody is fooling around, when they’re not saying something specific.”
Goldberg believes she was very clearly making a joke and that her audience will know when she’s being serious.
“Especially on this show. I’m very specific when I’m pointing stuff out,” she said. “When I’m making jokes, you know when I’m making jokes. This is ridiculous.”
The note that Hostin had passed to Whoopi came straight from the show’s production team, Page Six confirmed.
Staffers may have been playing it safe after The Post reported that the ladies of “The View” were told to tone down their criticism of Trump on air after ABC’s latest round of layoffs.
In February, sources claimed that there was growing tension on set after the show’s executive producer, Brian Teta, asked staffers to go “easy” on Trump-related discussions ahead of the inauguration.
An insider close to Goldberg, Hostin, Joy Behar, Sara Haines, Alyssa Farah Griffin and Ana Navarro also told The Post that morale was low amid cost-cutting efforts.
“Everybody is waiting for the other shoe to drop,” the insider said at the time.
Several broadcast networks have been on edge as Trump continues to pressure the FCC to issue fines.
Last year, ABC News had to pay Trump a $16 million settlement over Good Morning America’s George Stephanopoulos’ on-air comments. CBS News also paid Trump a $16 million settlement.
Marvel star Jeremy Renner accused of threatening to call ICE on Chinese film partner: ‘Scared for my life’
Jeremy Renner has been accused of threatening to call ICE on his filmmaking partner.
Chinese filmmaker Yi Zhou, 34, shared a series of bombshell allegations against the “Hawkeye” star, 54, in various Instagram posts this week.
Zhou, who made a documentary and animated movie with Renner, claimed he randomly reached out to her on direct message and WhatsApp in June 2025 and sent her “a string of unwanted / unsolicited pornographic images of himself.”
The pair ended up forming a romantic relationship and worked together on two projects, Zhou claimed. But things allegedly took a turbulent turn during a meeting about the documentary, “Chronicles Of Disney,” at Renner’s home in Reno, Nevada.
“I was discussing about the doc logistics, then he drank a bottle of wine alone and got angry and angry yelling for two hours,” Zhou told the Daily Mail.
Yi Zhou released photos of Jeremy Renner to prove they dated
Alleged messages between Jeremy Renner and Yi Zhou.
“I had to location share to my team, my parents and Disney colleagues in case something happens to me they know where I am,” she explained. “I had to lock myself in a room to be safe praying he would not come into the room at night as he was really angry. I did not say a word, I was so scared for my life.” But Zhou did tell a colleague she’d be safe staying at Renner’s place.
The Daily Mail also published Zhou’s alleged texts with her Disney colleagues during the incident. In the messages, Zhou called Renner “violent” and said she was “worried.”
“Can you lock yourself in the bathroom? He sounds crazy,” one co-worker texted Zhou.
She replied: “I did lock hope he can’t open. I’m [so] worried he yelled for 2 hours with one bottle of wine down alone.”
In one of her Instagram posts, Zhou claimed Renner threatened to contact immigration when she confronted him about his behavior.
“When I called him out privately about his past misconduct and asked him to behave properly, to respect me as a woman and as a filmmaker, he threatened to call immigration/ICE on me, an act that deeply shocked and frightened me,” she wrote.
In one of the messages she gave to the Daily Mail, Zhou called Renner a “pig” and told him to “go to hell.” She added, “U use all apps to send d–k pix. No one said anything. So far.”
“Immigration will be notified of your —” Renner allegedly responded. Zhou refused to provide the rest of the message, which was cut off.
In another Instagram post, Zhou said that it took her a long time “before I had the courage to write this and speak up.”
She also described her “story” as “a story of survival against domestic aggression, porn abuse and abuse of workplace and abuse as a woman.”
The Post has reached out to Renner and Zhou for comment.
Zhou told the Daily Mail last month that she was dating Renner.
“We have been in a relationship,” she said, adding that the “Mayor of Kingstown” actor “found new love” with her.
Renner was previously married to Sonni Pacheco for 10 months before the model filed for divorce in December 2014. The exes share daughter Ava, 12.
During their divorce proceedings, Pacheco accused Renner in court documents of threatening to kill her and himself. She also accused the “Avengers” star of drug use and leaving cocaine on a bathroom counter where Ava could reach.
Renner has denied all of Pacheco’s allegations. They share joint custody of their daughter.
