Whoopi Goldberg Says She Almost Died From Pneumonia in Both Lungs

Fans of ABC’s The View were informed of Whoopi Goldberg’s bout with pneumonia last month. On Friday, the EGOT winner revealed her medical condition was far more extreme than fans originally knew. Not only did she suffer from pneumonia, Goldberg said she almost died due to complications.

She gave an update on her condition in a prerecorded video. “Hey, yes, it’s me. I am here. I am up and moving around. Not as fast as I’d like to be, but I am okay. I’m not dead,” she said.

Goldberg shared details about her life-threatening condition. “So here’s what happened: I had pneumonia and I was septic. Pneumonia in both lungs, which meant there was fluid. There was all kinds of stuff going on. And yes, I came very, very close to leaving the Earth. Good news, I didn’t.”

Touched by the outpouring of support she received in her absence, Goldberg continued, “Thank you for all of your good wishes, all of the wonderful things that people have been saying.”

Never one to stray too far from her comedic roots, Goldberg joked, “Even people who are not huge fans of mine have actually said nice things about me. We all know that’s going to change when I get back.”

Goldberg, who last appeared on The View on Feb. 5, seemed optimistic about returning to the Emmy-award winning show. “Ladies, I can't wait to see y'all. This has been, ugh, interesting and I’ll tell you about it when we’re all at the table. See you soon.”

The View co-host Joy Behar confirmed Goldberg’s illness on Feb. 25. “I saw her last night and she’s very funny still, and we had big laughs. She’s getting there, she’s on the mend,” she said.

Behar also dispelled rumors that Goldberg skipped out on several The View tapings in order to host the 91^st annual Academy Awards. “She’s not really even well enough to host this show right now, much less the Oscars.”