Whoopi Goldberg Says Bakery ‘Refused’ to Sell Her Desserts Because ‘They Did Not Like My Politics’; Store Owner Refutes the Claim and Cites Equipment Issue
Whoopi Goldberg celebrated her 69th birthday on the Nov. 13 episode of “The View,” but the party ended with a rather shocking revelation that a bakery refused to sell the EGOT winner desserts because of her political beliefs. Goldberg paid tribute to her mother by sharing her favorite dessert, Charlotte Russe treats, with her “View” co-hosts. The desserts were ordered from a Staten Island bakery who initially refused the order because of Goldberg’s left-leaning political beliefs, the host claimed.
“Now, I should tell you, Charlotte Russe has no political leanings, and the place that made these refused to make them for me,” Goldberg said as the live studio audience gasped. “They said that their ovens had gone down, all kinds of stuff, but folks went and got them anyway, which is why I’m not telling you who made them.”
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“Perhaps they did not like my politics,” Goldberg added. “But that’s okay, because you know what? Listen, this is my mother’s celebration. Pick these up and celebrate with me and my mom. Thank you everyone for celebrating my birthday today.”
Goldberg did not name the bakery, but Entertainment Weekly did some sleuthing and identified Holtermann’s Bakery on Staten Island as the store. Bakery owner Jill Holtermann confirmed to EW that Goldberg requested the desserts two weeks ago but denied Goldberg’s politics played a role in turning down her order. Instead, Holtermann said the bakery was “having trouble with our boilers” at the time. The building is nearly 100 years old and so equipment issues are frequent, the owner explained.
As EW reports: “Goldberg initially requested treats for a Nov. 6 appearance on a talk show, and for the Nov. 13 broadcast of ‘The View’ — both of which she declined because she ‘didn’t want to make a commitment that I can’t carry through’ over the uncertainty of her equipment. She also confirms that an unidentified woman picked up around 50 Charlotte Russe desserts from the bakery at 7:30 a.m. ET Wednesday morning, which she was able to make — but didn’t want to commit to ahead of time over ongoing boiler issues.”
“I said to Whoopi, ‘I can’t do it right now,” Holtermann said. “We have so many things going on with my boiler,’ because the building is from 1930, so, when she called me, I had no idea [if we could] be baking everything.”
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