Whoopi Goldberg reveals how she ‘got a plane’ to rejoin “The View” amid volcano eruption zone stranding others

Joey NolfiTue, July 7, 2026 at 3:35 PM UTC

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Whoopi Goldberg explains how she got a plane out of volcano zoneCredit: ABCKey Points -

Whoopi Goldberg returned to The View amid a volcanic eruption that stranded others in Italy.

The EGOT winner previously revealed she was stranded in Sicily amid a ground stoppage at local airports, but that she “got a plane” out of the area.

Goldberg said she had a window of under 20 minutes to leave.

Whoopi Goldberg has returned to The View after being stranded amid a volcanic eruption that forced a ground stoppage in the Italian city of Sicily — and explained how she was able to get a plane to flee the region while others remained.

“I feel terrible because none of the airpots are open now, either, so people who were supposed to leave two days ago still have not because all the airports are closed,” Goldberg said Tuesday, shortly after taking her seat back at the Hot Topics table. She missed Monday’s broadcast after the eruption of Mount Etna.

After panelist Joy Behar asked how the 70-year-old EGOT winner was able to flee amid airport closures, Goldberg briefly paused before explaining, “We got out because I got a plane.”

She then explained, “We had to wait because the window for us to be able to leave was 17 minutes. They said between 11:00 and 11:17, you can’t do it at 11:18, you can’t do it before, this is the window you have. We were like, okay, we grabbed a couple of other people and said we’ll try to get a plane.”

Whoopi Goldberg misses ‘The View’ due to volcanoCredit: ABC; Salvatore Allegra/Anadolu via Getty

Goldberg said that others needed to “get home to their kids,” and praised a pilot named Salvo who flies out of “emergencies.”

“I feel so bad, because yesterday I was supposed to do Good Morning America to talk about the opening of the Whoopi [Monologues stage show], so hopefully this week, Brian, you’ll let me do a whole thing about it,” Goldberg said, turning toward producer Brian Teta.

Earlier in the episode, Goldberg joked that “the volcano finally let me leave” after her trip to Italy, and described her earlier attempt to leave the country just as the volcano first erupted.

“She snapped. We are on the plane, we have no idea this is happening, and the pilot, we hear the engine turning on. He says, ‘You know, if you look out the right side, you’ll see that Mount Etna has just erupted,’” Goldberg recalled. “I’m like, what did he just say? Did he just say Mount Etna just blew her top? I’m thinking, if you had just put your foot on the accelerator and not told us until we got up above it, we’d be home by now!”

A representative for The View did not respond to Entertainment Weekly‘s multiple requests for more information.

Goldberg announced in a pre-recorded video that played on Monday’s broadcast that the eruption of Mount Etna halted all outgoing flights in the area, forcing her to remain in the region amid the volcano’s activity.

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“I am in Sicily right now, and Mount Etna, who is one of our active volcanoes here in Italy, decided to go off today,” Goldberg said in the clip on the show, which showed her standing on the balcony of a hotel in the area.

She added that she “spent most of the day trying to get back to the United States” in order to appear on The View‘s first new episode since June, though “all of the airports are closed here.”

Whoopi Goldberg explains how she ‘got a plane’ out of a volcano eruption zoneCredit: ABC

“So, I will be back as soon as I can,” Goldberg promised, going on to quip, “I know that we got all kinds of stories about our different vacations. I think my story just takes the cake! A volcano ate my homework!”

Cohosts Ana Navarro and Sara Haines also missed Monday’s episode due to complications stemming from storms that ravaged the East Coast, which forced show producer Brian Teta to ask Behar — who typically has Mondays off — to come in and sit on the panel amid the absences.

While Behar moderated the show, actress Michelle Buteau — originally slated to be an interview guest — sat in as a guest cohost for the entire episode, alongside regular panelists Sunny Hostin and Alyssa Farah Griffin.

‘The View’ cohostsCredit: ABC/JEFF LIPSKY

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“Ana is stuck in Miami because of the weather. It’s always hot there, what’s the problem? Sara is dealing with storm damage. How many people are dealing with storm damage? Anybody in this group? No? Just Sara,” Behar joked on the air. “And Whoopi is using the old volcano excuse.”

The talk show is set for a packed week of guests, including controversial conservative Marjorie Taylor Greene, who’s set to make her return to the show after a round of headline-making interviews in the past.

The View airs weekdays on ABC.

on Entertainment Weekly

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