After Whoopi Goldberg and Sunny Hostin tested positive for COVID-19, ‘The View’ went back to filming in isolation amid the surging Omicron variant.
Being back in the studio was probably fun while it lasted, but The View went back to filming in isolation on Jan. 3, after hosts Whoopi Goldberg and Sunny Hostin tested positive for COVID-19 amid the surging Omicron variant. Both hosts, who are double vaccinated and boosted, have since recovered from the virus, but the ABC show still made the decision to film remotely through at least the end of this week. Whoopi will also be taking a few days off as she recoups from the illness.
Joy Behar, who is stepping in as moderator this week, opened Monday’s show — after a two-week hiatus — with news of the show’s new COVID protocols. “Well, they say there’s no place like home for the holidays! And that’s exactly where we are today. So, happy New Year from all of our living rooms,” she said with a laugh. “As you can see, we’re back in boxes and doing the show remotely. Hopefully for just a week. I’m praying that it’s just a week, but you never know, because this Omicron thing is all over the place.”
HOW COVID HIT HOME OVER THE HOLIDAYS: @JoyVBehar, @sarahaines, @sunny Hostin, and @ananavarro share how COVID-19 and the omicron variant surge impacted their holidays. https://t.co/cVclFZQmjApic.twitter.com/bGzRpr6hCC
— The View (@TheView) January 3, 2022
She continued, “Why am I here instead of Whoopi? Well, Whoopi unfortunately tested positive over the break. But she’ll be back, probably next week. Since she’s vaxxed and boosted, her symptoms have been very mild. We’re being super cautious here at The View, and we’ll be checking with her soon, so you’ll see Whoopi too.”
While Sunny also fell ill, she was fortunately able to keep the rest of her family from getting sick. She explained, “We had a very tough holiday. I too tested positive for COVID right before Christmas. I was isolated alone, I FaceTimed with my family for Christmas and New Year’s. It was extremely difficult. My mom also tested positive for COVID. We’re all negative now, and thank god Manny and the kids and my dad were negative.”
Unfortunately, Whoopi and Sunny weren’t alone in getting sick. Sara Haines later revealed that her husband also tested positive for COVID over the holiday break, so it’s probably a good that The View is keeping its co-hosts safe at home.
Watch a clip from today’s episode above.