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Whoopi Goldbergharkened back to the anticommunist “Red Scare” as she criticizedDebra MessingandEric McCormackonThe Viewthis week forpushing for the release of namesof people attending a fundraiser for PresidentDonald Trumpin Beverly Hills, California.
She was following the lead of McCormack, 56, herWill & Gracecostar who previouslytweeted, “Hey, @THR, kindly report on everyone attending this event, so the rest of us can be clear about who we don’t wanna work with. Thx.”
“Listen, the last time people did this people ended up killing themselves. This is not a good idea,” Goldberg said on Tuesday. “Your idea of who you don’t want to work with is your personal business. Do not encourage people to print out lists, because the next list that comes out, your name will be on [it] and then people will be coming after you.”
The Hollywood blacklist infamously emerged during the early part of the Cold War in the late ‘40s and early ‘50s, ensnaring many in the industry over alleged ties to the Communist Party.
“In this country, people can vote for who they want to. That is one of the great rights of this country. You don’t have to like it, but we don’t go after people because we don’t like who they voted for,” Goldberg said onThe View, adding, “I’m sure you guys misspoke when you said that because it sounded like a good idea. Think about it. Read about it. Remember what the blacklist actually meant to people and don’t encourage anyone, anyone, to do it.”
Co-hostJoy Beharechoed her stance, saying that while she believes the public has a right to know if companies are donating to Trump, people are a different matter.
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“When it’s individuals, I think that then you’re stalking, and you’re starting to endanger that person’s life,” said Behar. “So I don’t approve of that.”
ActorJohn O’Hurley, known for playing eccentric businessman J. Peterman onSeinfeld, criticized Messing and McCormack as well,saying on Fox Newsthat he found their message “obscene.”
“Let me just say I’m embarrassed for both of them and I’ll say this because I know them both and I’ve worked with Debra before,” said O’Hurley, 56. “They’re both smart people, they do wonderful work. But they’re pushing a case that falls apart from the sheer weight of its lunacy … It falls, it underscores the fact that we aren’t receptive to diversity of thought, which is the exact opposite of what you feel the liberal way should be.”
Both Messing and McCormack addressed the controversy on social media Tuesday, with Messing re-sharing McCormack’s explanatory post on the matter.
Messing’s tweet also caught the ire of Trump, whosnapped at her on Twitter, recalling an instance in the early 2000s, in which, he said, she called him “Sir” and thanked him for revitalizing the lineup of NBC, whereWill & Gracewas airing.
“I have not forgotten that when it was announced that I was going to do The Apprentice, and when it then became a big hit, helping NBC’s failed lineup greatly, @DebraMessing came up to me at an Upfront & profusely thanked me, even calling me ‘Sir.’ How times have changed!” wrote Trump, who is no stranger to personally calling out celebrities.
Messing later clapped back, encouraging the president to focus on the bigger issues at hand, such as Hurricane Dorian and gun violence prevention.
“Now that I know I have your attention @realDonaldTrump, please read this thread- a PARTIAL list of souls lost to preventable, devastating gun violence. America wants universal background checks. The majority of Americans want assault weapons bans. Take Action and I’ll call you Sir,” she wrote.
She received support from a slew of celebrities amid her Trump back-and-forth, includingMia Farrow,Bette Midler,Bradley WhitfordandPatricia Arquette.
Messing also explained her reasoning behind her initial request about the fundraiser, writing on Twitter that when she donates, she’s “proud” to do so and would assume anyone who donates to Trump would feel the same. She later shared a list of campaigns to which she’s donated.
She also responded to a tweet that accused her of bullying for asking for names.
source: people.com
