EXCLUSIVE: Whoopi Goldberg's Latest Whopper! Tape Exposes Her Defense of Sex Offender Director
Whoopi Goldberg faces backlash after tape exposes defense of sex offender director.
March 16 2026, Published 7:30 a.m. ET
Bigmouth Whoopi Goldberg is on the hotseat again after a resurfaced clip of The View showed her apparently defending disgraced director Roman Polanski for allegedly raping a 13-year-old girl, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
In 1977, the then-43-year-old Chinatown director, who was charged with drugging and raping barely teenaged Samantha Geimer, pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of unlawful sex with a minor and then fled to Europe to escape possible jail time.
Whoopi Goldberg’s Polanski Comments Resurface
Whoopi Goldberg drew backlash after a resurfaced 'The View' clip showed her discussing Roman Polanski's 1977 case involving Samantha Geimer.
But in a shocking 2009 View clip that recently appeared on the X social media channel, Goldberg seemed to defend Polanski, now 92 and living in France, to then co-host Sherri Shepherd.
"I know it wasn't rape rape," the Sister Act actress blurted back then. "I think it was something else, but I don't believe that it was rape rape."
Goldberg then noted they needed more information and added: "All I'm trying to get you to understand is we're talking about what someone did and what they were charged with.
"We have to say what it actually was, not what we thought it was."
But Shepherd wasn't letting Polanski off the hook, saying: "He gave her quaaludes, he gave her champagne, she was drugged, she was 13 years old."
Whoopi Doubles Down In Clip
Sherri Shepherd challenged Goldberg on 'The View' while discussing allegations against 'Chinatown' director Roman Polanski.
Still, Goldberg countered: "They were having sex beforehand, Sherri." Shepherd then fired back: "That's what I'm saying – you're 13 years old! She was still a child."
The director, who has always denied wrongdoing, spent 42 days in the clink after confessing to the lesser charge, but fled to France, which doesn't extradite its citizens, when it appeared a judge was reconsidering his release.
In 2023, grown-up Geimer defended Polanski and took a photo with him.
Another Polanski Assault Claim Resurfaces
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Charlotte Lewis accused Polanski of sexual assault in the early 1980s, a claim the director denied.
The director was also accused by The Golden Child actress Charlotte Lewis, now 58, of raping her when she was 16 in the early 1980s.
Polanski insisted Lewis had lied about the sexual assault and was later acquitted of defaming her in a 2024 trial.
