During a recent appearance on The View, the 68-year-old actress discussed the sacrifices she made for success when she was younger.
Whoopi Goldberg has admitted that she chose her acting career over her only child, Alexandrea Martin, because she knew the opportunity to succeed in entertainment “would never happen again.”
During their open chat on Tuesday’s episode of The View, the Academy Award winner and her co-hosts discussed Lily Allen’s recent comments about how having kids “ruined her career.”
Whoopi decided to come clean about her life choices after becoming a mother at 19 in May 1974. She shared her opinion on whether women can simultaneously thrive in their careers and motherhood.
She revealed how having her daughter, Alexandrea Martin, at 18 motivated her even more to pursue a successful career. While she was focused on her job, Goldberg made sure to have Martin by her side the entire time by taking her on tour. She said that her daughter ‘didn’t always like it’ but stressed that she never traveled anywhere without her kid.
“My kid came before my career, and I chose my career because I knew this would never happen again. She didn’t always like it, but that is the process of being a parent. They’re not supposed to like everything you do,” the Sister Act star admitted.
When her co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin replied, “And you gave her a better life,” Whoopi responded humbly, “I mean, even when I wasn’t famous, when we went on tour, when she sat in that theatre with me, you know wherever I went, she went. So it depends on what you’re able to do when you’re able to do it.”
Alexandrea, Whoopi’s daughter, was 11 years old when she made her film debut in Steven Spielberg’s The Color Purple, playing Celie Harris-Johnson.
Whoopi is now the recipient of numerous accolades and one of 19 entertainers to have won the EGOT, which includes an Emmy, a Grammy, an Academy Award, and a Tony Award.
