'The View' co-host discusses the awkward incident on a recent podcast.
During Thursday’s episode of The View, Whoopi Goldberg stopped the show to inquire if her co-host, Alyssa Farah Griffin, was pregnant. Griffin has now broken her silence on the matter, revealing that she took the unexpected question as a compliment and assured fans that all is well between her and Goldberg.
The incident unfolded during a live conversation about Utah Senator Mitt Romney's decision not to run for reelection in 2024.
Goldberg looked at Griffin out of the blue and blurted out, "Are you pregnant?"
"No! Oh my god!" a shocked Griffin replied, before noting that her husband, Justin Griffin's, mother was in the show's studio audience. "You can't say that while my mother-in-law is here! She's been dying for me to get pregnant."
On Friday's episode of The View, co-host Joy Behar opened the show by joking, "I have an announcement. I'm pregnant. Everybody thinks it's Alyssa, but it's me."
Griffin, a former White House director of strategic communications, spoke about the moment from Thursday's show on the Behind the Table podcast, recounting the humorous and somewhat awkward encounter.
Laughing about the spontaneous question, she described the incident, noting that her mother-in-law and grandmother-in-law were in the front row watching, which added an extra layer of embarrassment. "If there are two people in my life who want me to be pregnant today more than anyone, it's them, so just the most fortuitous timing," she quipped, crediting her makeup artist for her radiant glow.
Griffin, 34, shared her perspective on Goldberg's inquiry, saying, "Whoopi, she thinks out loud sometimes, and I chose to take it as a compliment — that I'm glowing. She's so sweet." She added that Goldberg apologized during the break and even made a heart sign, reaffirming that there was no malice behind the question.
"That’s what makes the show fun. It’s completely unpredictable. I thought we were talking about Mitt Romney but then we were talking about my pregnancy plans of the future — which just again, headline news, I am not pregnant at this time," she added.
Addressing the media's reaction to the incident, Griffin humorously mentioned that she received texts during the commercial break from reporters seeking her response.
"I literally was getting texts on the commercial break from reporters like, ‘Do you care to respond to this?’ I used to take questions about, like, there was a missile attack in Afghanistan and now I’m like, 'No, I’m not going to comment on my fake pregnancy right now,'" Griffin said as she laughed about the incident.
Executive producer Brian Teta noted that Goldberg's on-air question was "out of character" for her and mentioned that she's usually the one cautioning Griffin about revealing personal information on the show. Griffin concurred, stating that if she did share news of a pregnancy privately with Goldberg, the advice would likely be, "Wait until you're ready to tell people."
In conclusion, Griffin assured fans that the incident was all in good fun and reiterated her appreciation for the unpredictability that makes The View so great.
"She would never just shout it on air. But listen, that’s what makes the show interesting," said Griffin.
A source tells ET, “Alyssa and Whoopi had a good laugh yesterday after the show.”
ET spoke to the ladies of The View at the start of the show's 27th season earlier this month, and Behar remarked on the good group of women who currently make up the panel.
"None of us are crazy," she said. "Well, we're crazy but we're not mental, you know? We're friendly to each other, nobody's really a troublemaker right now. Even off [the set]. We pretty much agree with each other on a lot of things so, I don't think that we're having a fight. If we had a Trumper on the panel it would've been harder but, even Alyssa, who is a big conservative girl, doesn't believe in [Donald] Trump at all. So that's easy for us."
As for how Griffin manages not to take the drama of The View home with her, she told ET, "Honestly, we have to keep our heads clear. I work out every day. That's my one thing to keep mental clarity and kind of keep focus. And also know when to unplug. This is a job that's so demanding, you've got to follow so many things that are happening, but at the end of the night, save a little time for me, my husband, my puppy. That's clearing my head."
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