Whoopi Goldberg stunned viewers Tuesday morning, Dec. 2, 2025, when she abruptly left The View’s Hot Topics table mid-discussion.
This time, she did not do so in frustration, but to physically demonstrate her accusation that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is “throwing an admiral under the bus” amid mounting criticism of deadly U.S. military strikes in the Caribbean.
The moment unfolded as the panel dissected ongoing controversy surrounding Hegseth’s authorization of a Sept. 2 strike on a Venezuelan boat that killed all aboard. The White House confirmed this week that Hegseth had approved Admiral Bradley to carry out the operation, one of several recent strikes that human rights advocates say may violate international law.
Goldberg, 70, pressed the point that accountability seems to be shifting downward instead of upward.
“They’re blaming the folks who worked in that plane,” she said. “Because they know Pete—he’s going to get a pardon. He’s not going to be held accountable.”
Then she stood up, stepped away from the table, and pointed across the studio.
“This is what they did. Watch this,” Goldberg said, miming a shove.
“That’s the admiral,” co-host Sunny Hostin observed. Goldberg added, “They threw that admiral right under the bus.”
Hostin, a former federal prosecutor, took the point further: true leadership includes owning both “the wins and the losses.” She argued that the strike raised serious legal questions about the U.S. obligation under the laws of armed conflict, particularly if individuals on the targeted vessel survived the initial explosion.
Hostin noted that international law requires capturing such individuals as prisoners of war, providing care, and bringing them before a court, not executing them.
“Instead, they killed them,” she said.
The panel also warned of the potential fallout for U.S. service members.
If an order is found to be illegal, Hostin said, “the person who gave the order can be held accountable… and the people that conducted the orders… are also responsible.”
She raised concerns that military personnel may face court-martial for acting on directives they believed were unlawful.
This week’s tense exchanges grew out of public outcry surrounding more than 20 U.S. strikes on alleged drug-trafficking boats in the Caribbean and Pacific since early September, an operation that has killed at least 83 people.
Critics say the legal rationale behind the strikes remains thin, particularly as civilian casualties come into sharper focus.
Hegseth pushed back on social media Monday, insisting the missions are “lawful under both U.S. and international law, with all actions in compliance with the law of armed conflict.”
A spokesperson repeated that line to Entertainment Weekly, offering no further comment.
But on The View, skepticism—and frustration—ran high.
As Goldberg returned to the table, Hostin summed up the concern animating the panel: “Imagine people serving this country, following orders, and then being punished for them. That’s what’s at stake.”
The View airs weekdays on ABC.
