Whoopi Goldberg’s latest rant on The View has landed her in hot water, and this time it’s not just conservatives who are fuming—it’s the grocery store owners and their employees who are taking her to task. During Thursday’s episode, Goldberg attempted to defend Joe Biden from criticism over soaring inflation, instead blaming greedy grocery store owners for the high prices Americans are facing at the checkout line. “Your pocketbook is bad, not because the Bidens did anything,” she claimed. “Your grocery bills are what they are because the folks that own the groceries are pigs.”
If that wasn’t enough, The View’s resident “Republican” Alyssa Farah Griffin chimed in, agreeing with Goldberg’s take and adding, “But no one articulated that.” Well, maybe no one articulated it because it’s absurd.
Goldberg’s tirade didn’t sit well with the grocery industry. The National Grocers Association (NGA), which represents independent grocers across the country, quickly fired back. In a scathing letter to The View’s executive producer Brian Teta, NGA Chief Greg Ferrara blasted Goldberg’s comments as reckless and inflammatory. “We are deeply troubled by these remarks … referring to people who own grocery stores as ‘pigs,’” Ferrara wrote. He pointed out that these small, community-based grocers operate on razor-thin profit margins of just one to two percent—hardly the portrait of corporate greed Goldberg tried to paint.
Ferrara’s response wasn’t just about defending the grocery store owners; it was about protecting the employees who have borne the brunt of rising tensions. According to Ferrara, statements like Goldberg’s only add fuel to the fire, potentially inciting violence against frontline workers who’ve been serving communities through inflation, supply chain issues, and a pandemic. He credited rising food costs to “broader economic issues,” including supply chain disruptions and skyrocketing labor expenses, not some nefarious price-gouging scheme by grocers.
Zulema Wiscovitch, co-president of the Associated Supermarket Group, echoed Ferrara’s concerns, telling The New York Post she was “totally outraged” by Goldberg’s remarks. Wiscovitch called the accusations baseless and accused Goldberg of spreading misinformation that could incite hatred against store owners and employees. “It shows a lack of understanding of what’s going on with the economy,” Wiscovitch said, labeling Goldberg’s smear as “totally unacceptable.”
The backlash highlights a deeper issue: while Goldberg blames greedy business owners for inflation, economists point to the actual culprits—rising energy costs, labor shortages, and flawed fiscal policies. Blaming small business owners might make for good TV, but it’s a slap in the face to the grocers and their staff who’ve been navigating these economic challenges on the front lines.
For now, Goldberg’s comments have sparked outrage across the aisle, uniting grocers, labor advocates, and viewers who recognize that blaming the folks stocking the shelves is not just wrong—it’s dangerous. Perhaps it’s time for The View’s hosts to take a break from partisan finger-pointing and learn a bit more about how the economy actually works.
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