On Wednesday, July 19, The View co-host and actress Whoopi Goldberg walked off set after defending country singer Miranda Lambert for calling out fans for taking a selfie during her ballad at her Las Vegas residency concert.
In a video that surfaced online, Lambert was amid the first verse of her 2016 track “Tin Man” when she abruptly stopped the song to address disrespectful fans taking selfies with the flash on.
“There’s something bound to fall apart,” the “Gunpowder and Lead” singer sang before stopping. “I’m gonna stop right here for a second…I’m sorry.”
The audience applauded Lambert, who has stopped mid-songs in the past, mainly for catfights.
“These girls are worried about their selfies and not listening to the song. It’s pissing me off a little bit,” she said, earning praise from the crowd. “I don’t like it at all. We’re here to hear some country music tonight. I’m singing some country damn music.”
She gestured for the women to stop before asking the audience, “Shall I start again?”
Co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin believed Lambert’s reaction to the women was doing the most, arguing they paid for their ticket and “want to be there, they’re trying to enjoy themselves.”
Goldberg, who’s also an entertainer, interjected, “No, they don’t want to be there. If they paid money for the tickets, they came to see her. So, if she’s singing, at least a little respect. So that…knowledge, you can see her, she can see you, too.”
They then showed another video with a different angle of the women seemingly in the V.I.P. section, taking selfies with the flash on. The caption in the video read that the women continuously taking bright photos distracted other audience members, who were happy when the “Only Prettier” singer called them out.
“It’s like being a lounge singer,” Goldberg said. “You go into a bar, somebody’s at the piano, and nobody’s listening. That’s what it’s like for her.
Most of the women agreed that the women were tactless, but Sunny Hostin sided with the women, who reportedly paid over $700 for the V.I.P. tickets.
“I’m not split on this at all,” Hostin said. “The expensive tickets in the V.I.P. section that they were in, $757. Imma take as many selfies as I want if I paid $757. I’m sorry. It’s just me.”
Goldberg disagreed and argued that if they paid $757 to see the artist, they should’ve given them respect by watching who they came to see, “Or don’t come.”
Hostin suggested they may have wanted to play the moment again sometime.
Goldberg then walked off the set. Her co-hosts asked where she was headed.
“I’m leaving y’all,” Goldberg responded while approaching an audience member. “‘Cause I want to take a picture with this marvelous woman who’s 91. We’re going to do a selfie.”
