On a recent episode of “The View,” Whoopi Goldberg stunned her co-hosts and audience with a deadpan revelation: she claimed to have spent time in jail. What began as a light-hearted conversation quickly took an unexpected turn — and it wasn’t until the end of the show that the truth finally came out.

Things took a surprising twist when a random discussion prompt landed Whoopi Goldberg in the spotlight. As part of a playful segment, show producer Brian Teta introduced a bag of talking points that literally dropped from the ceiling. Goldberg drew a card that read: “Would you rather hike the Appalachian Trail alone or spend six months in jail?”

“I’ve Done Both,” Goldberg Claims

Without flinching, Goldberg calmly responded, “Well, I’ve done both,” leaving the panel stunned. Co-host Joy Behar, who had already deemed the question “stupid,” immediately perked up: “When were you in jail?” Goldberg, maintaining her poker face, teased, “I’ll tell you about it.” The segment moved on, but the air was thick with curiosity.

A Clarification Comes — Eventually

Viewers had to wait until the final segment of the show to get an explanation. Returning from a commercial break, Goldberg addressed the confusion: “I don’t want people freaking out. These are jokes. When I say, ‘Yeah, maybe I did the Appalachian Trail and went to jail,’ don’t twist it. I’m a humorist, okay?” She laughed off the moment, adding, “Stop Googling. You’ll be looking until the cows come home, honey.”

But Was It Really Just a Joke?

Despite her dismissal, public records show Goldberg was indeed arrested once — albeit under very different circumstances. On April 30, 1985, she was reportedly taken into custody during a protest at the University of California, Berkeley. According to an Associated Press report syndicated by The New York Times, Goldberg was among a dozen demonstrators arrested for blocking the entrance to University Hall as part of a national protest against South Africa’s apartheid regime.

A Political Stand, Not a Prison Sentence

The arrest did not result in jail time, but rather a citation and a promise to appear in court. The San Francisco Examiner confirmed that Goldberg, Berkeley’s then-mayor Gus Newport, and two others were released shortly after appearing before a municipal court. Their actions were part of a coordinated civil disobedience campaign to pressure institutions into divesting from South Africa.

Goldberg’s Rise to Stardom

At the time of her arrest, Goldberg was on the brink of a major breakthrough in entertainment. Her solo stage performance The Spook Show had just been turned into a televised special by HBO titled Whoopi Goldberg: Direct From Broadway. Later that same year, she would earn critical acclaim for her role in The Color Purple, which marked her film debut and secured her first Oscar nomination for Best Actress.

Humor, History, and Activism

Goldberg’s on-air joke, while misleading, indirectly shed light on a real chapter of her life marked by social activism. Though the claim of having done “both” — prison and trail — was tongue-in-cheek, it sparked renewed interest in her past. It also reminded audiences that behind the humor is a woman who has long used her platform to stand for what she believes in — even if that meant facing arrest.