Whoopi Goldberg cuts off Charlie Sheen addiction debate to talk about her own problems
A tense debate on ABC’s The View Tuesday ended with Whoopi Goldberg cutting off the conversation after co-hosts clashed over actor Charlie Sheen’s past and his father’s role in his recovery.
The discussion followed a clip from Sheen’s Good Morning America interview, where he reflected on his father Martin Sheen’s decision to turn him in to authorities following a drug overdose in the late 1990s.
Charlie Sheen, who recently had a documentary about his life come out, described it as “the biggest betrayal you could possibly endure,” but later said he came to “see it as love eventually.”
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“In his condition, of course he saw it as a betrayal,” Goldberg said, before asking her co-hosts whether they would feel the same.
Joy Behar, 82, responded, “In my view, as an Italian mother, you do not turn your children in, especially if they have a drug problem or a mental health problem.”
“You send them to a shrink or the hospital. You don’t call the police. Martin Sheen made a big mistake.”
Alyssa Farah Griffin, 36, pushed back, citing her sister’s recovery from addiction.
“The most loving thing a parent can do is tough love,” she said. “Being behind bars led to her getting sober. It was the turning point that helped save her life.”
Sara Haines, 47, also supported the intervention, noting that addicts are often incapable of clear reasoning.
“You’re not thinking clearly,” Haines said. “Like [Charlie] said, ‘I eventually saw it as love.’ ”
“I don’t call it tough love. I call it love love,” Haines added. “Sometimes parents bury the bodies. That’s enabling.”
Behar jumped in again, “You don’t send your children to jail. You call the doctor.”
Sunny Hostin, 56, agreed. “I’m with you, Joy. This AfroLatin mother would never.”
Goldberg reminded the panel that Charlie was not living with his father at the time. Hostin argued that Martin Sheen, with his resources, should have chosen a private facility over law enforcement.
At that point, Goldberg cut off the debate.
“I’m going to shut this down right now,” she said. “If you don’t think they did everything to help him… this was the last straw. They didn’t want him to die on the street.”
“Every family has to handle this differently,” Goldberg added. “Every addiction is different.”
Hostin acknowledged Goldberg’s personal experience, saying she was “closer to this.”
“I’m closer to it because I’ve been an addict,” Goldberg responded. “We lie. We say we’re going to get clean, then do something stupid. Sometimes you don’t have any other choice.”
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