Whoopi Goldberg ignited a nuclear-level debate by comparing systemic racism in America to life under Iran’s authoritarian regime, and the internet is still picking up the pieces.
Whoopi Goldberg is once again the center of a social media storm for comparing the Black American experience to the human rights struggles faced by people living in Iran.
During a fiery exchange on The View this week, the Oscar-winning actress and longtime co-host sparked intense backlash after claiming that Black people in the U.S. “have it as bad” as citizens living under Iran’s authoritarian regime.
It all started when co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin referenced Iran’s notorious laws, especially those restricting women’s rights enforced by the country’s brutal morality police. She pointed out that women in Tehran can be arrested, or even killed, for showing their hair or wearing a skirt.
But Whoopi wasn’t having it.
“We have been known in this country to tie gay folks to the car,” she exclaimed. “Listen, I’m sorry. They used to just keep hanging Black people.”
“It is the same,” she added, directly comparing systemic violence and racism in America to the conditions under Iran’s current leadership.
Griffin quickly pushed back, saying, “It is not even the same. I couldn’t step foot wearing this outfit in Tehran right now.” She reminded viewers that, unlike in the U.S., women in Iran face death for violating strict dress codes.
When Griffin insisted the comparison was a stretch, Goldberg doubled down, saying:
“Not if you’re Black.”
She went on to describe the constant fear many Black Americans still live in 2025.
“Every day, we are worried. Do we have to be worried about our kids? Are our kids gonna get shot because they’re running through somebody’s neighborhood?”
Despite the heated moment, Whoopi did offer some patriotic balance:
“This is the greatest country in the world,” she said.
Griffin, however, didn’t let up. She pointed out that if the conversation were happening in Iran, none of the women on The View would be safe or even allowed to speak publicly. “We’d be arrested for what we’re wearing and for daring to speak this freely,” she emphasized.
The backlash was immediate. Critics on X (formerly Twitter) called Goldberg’s comments “out of touch,” “reckless,” and “insulting to actual victims of the Iranian regime.” Others accused her of minimizing the real, often deadly oppression faced by Iranians, especially women and LGBTQ+ citizens, by comparing it to life in America.
Still, some users sided with Whoopi, arguing that her point wasn’t about denying Iran’s horrors but rather about highlighting that Black Americans still face violence, injustice, and fear in a country that prides itself on freedom.
