In a recent appearance on The Best Podcast Ever, award-winning actress Whoopi Goldberg touched on her sexuality after the podcast’s co-host, Raven-Symoné, told the 67-year-old that she gives “lesbian vibes.”
Per Independent, Raven asked the EGOT winner to clarify if she’s a lesbian as the 37-year-old said she always felt Goldberg was queer when she was around her.
“I want to just dig into your business a little bit, this is a safe space,” the That’s So Raven star told Goldberg. “Honestly, when I was around you, I loved you so much like I just wanted to be up underneath the t***y the whole time! But that’s also because you just kind of gave me lesbian vibes!”
The Sister Act actress initially laughed in response to her comments before Raven’s wife and the podcast’s co-host, Miranda Maday, later joined the conversation. “I think this is a secret fantasy of Raven’s!” Maday jokingly said. “I think she just wants everybody to be gay and she’s just really hoping you’ll come out right here right now.”
Raven then responded in the affirmative before telling Goldberg: “So if you want to tell us anything, Whoops, you’re more than welcome to!” Goldberg, however, responded by saying that though her sexuality has been questioned on many occasions, she is not a lesbian.
“I know lots of them, and I’ve played them on television,” Goldberg said. “But I have always had lesbian friends because they’re just my friends.”
Raven then commended the 67-year-old for how she has embraced herself. “Which makes me happy because I can also say, to all those people who judge the lesbian community or the gay community,” the 37-year-old said. “There is something beautiful about a woman being able to embrace their masculine and feminine at the same time and wear it so well, like you do.”
“It’s fantastic, you’re not either one or the other, you’re just a human living in your body and doesn’t really correlate to sexual orientation or any of that,” The Cosby Show star added. “It’s just the way you present and it’s so warming… You live in this duality so well, and I just want to applaud you for that.”
Goldberg has tied that knot on three occasions. Between 1973 and 1979, she was married to Alvin Martin, who she shares a daughter with, per Independent. After their divorce, the actress then married David Claessan in 1986 before parting ways with him in 1988. She was also married to Lyle Trachtenberg from 1994 to 1995.