photo of whoopi goldberg

hoopi Goldberg is showing no signs of slowing down and isn’t even thinking about retirement yet, but not because it doesn’t interest her. The View co-host, 69, admitted that despite her reported $30 million net worth, she won’t be retiring any time soon because she can’t afford to stop working. During a recent interview with Entertainment Tonight, Whoopi was asked if she thought about “slowing down” and enjoying life, to which she responded: “Yeah, but who can afford to do that? You know if you don’t marry well, you gotta keep working.” When the reporter suggested Whoopi “could probably afford” to retire, she candidly added: “No, not by now. Not yet. I gotta keep paying those bills, baby.”

Whoopi reportedly earns $8 million per year for her role as a co-host and moderator on The View, making her the highest-paid host on the show. She joined the series back in 2001, replacing Rosie O’Donnell. As a result of her joining the talk show, Whoopi helped draw in 3.4 million viewers during her debut.

In 2024, Whoopi admitted that she kept her job on The View because she needed the money. “I appreciate that people are having a hard time,” she said. “Me, too. I work for a living. If I had all the money in the world, I would not be here, OK? So, I’m a working person, you know?”

Speaking to The New York Times in 2019, Whoopi said that her role on The View is simply “a job” to her. “In a way, I am playing a role. These are not conversations that I’m having with my friends. If they were, we’d be doing it differently. My friends and I can talk about things in-depth in a different way than you can on television.”

Career

To date, Whoopi has been nominated for more than 20 Emmy Awards for The View. In 2009, she won the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Talk Show Host. The beloved star has been a familiar face on our screens for decades, and has an impressive resume as an actress, presenter, comedian, and author among her list of accolades.

Whoopi shocked fans with her question© The View
Whoopi claims she is still on The View because she can’t afford to retire

Whoopi Goldberg smiling and raising her arms on The View© Lou Rocco
Whoopi reportedly earns $8m a year for The View

Whoopi has also made her millions through her work on stage and on the big screen. Her one-woman show, Whoopi Goldberg, back in 1983, went to Broadway and ran for 156 performances. She was later cast as Cecile in The Colour Purple, which saw her nominated for Best Actress at the Oscars. Other notable films include her role in Ghost alongside Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore, which won her the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1990.

Whoopi Goldberg during the 63rd Academy Awards in 1991© Getty Images
Whoopi is an EGOT winner

She also starred in two Star Trek movies and Sister Act and Sister Act 2, for which she commanded a salary in the $7 million to $12 million range, making her, at that point, the highest-paid actress in Hollywood, and earned her a Golden Globe nomination. The actress has also starred in movies such as How Stella Got Her Groove Back, Girl, Interrupted, For Colored Girls, and Nobody’s Fool, to name but a few.

whoopi goldberg paris fashion week© Getty Images
Whoopi is reportedly worth $30 million

In total, Whoopi has won over 50 awards during her career and been nominated for a further 80. She is also among the few to achieve EGOT status, having won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Award. In 2001, she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.