The Poynter Institute Menu Donate State Editions * California * Florida * Iowa * Michigan * New Hampshire * New York * North Carolina * Pennsylvania * Texas * West Virginia * Wisconsin Issues * All Issues * Online hoaxes * Coronavirus * Health Care * Immigration * Extremism * Taxes * Marijuana * Environment * Crime * Guns * Foreign Policy * LGBTQ+ People * Joe Biden * Kamala Harris * Donald Trump * Mitch McConnell * Hakeem Jeffries * Ron DeSantis Media * PunditFact * Tucker Carlson * Sean Hannity * Rachel Maddow * Bloggers * PolitiFact Videos Campaigns * 2024 Elections Truth-o-Meter * True * Mostly True * Half True * Mostly False * False * Pants on Fire Promises * Biden Promise Tracker * Trump-O-Meter * Obameter * Latest Promises About Us * Our Process * Our Staff * En Español * Who pays for PolitiFact? * Advertise with Us * Suggest a Fact-check * Corrections and Updates * Newsletters Donate #### Follow us The Facts Newsletter Sign up English Español ### Get PolitiFact in your inbox. * Weekly Email Newsletter * Daily Email Newsletter Your Email Address Sign Up ![](\\" ![](\\" Viral image stated on July 22, 2019 in a Facebook post: Says Whoopi Goldberg kept her job and was applauded by ABC after calling Jeanine Pirro a racist slur. ![\\"true\\"](\\" false/33efdb6633e5e2fdc2d4e2f63383a1e0.jpg.\\") ![\\"false\\"](\\" false.jpg\\") * Pundits * Facebook Fact-checks * Viral image ![\\"Ciara](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke July 26, 2019 # No evidence Whoopi Goldberg called Jeanine Pirro a slur Roseanne Barr’s sitcom, \"Roseanne,\" was canceled by ABC after Barr posted a racist tweet about Valerie Jarrett, an African-American and adviser to Barack Obama during his presidency. But a recent Facebook post accuses the network of double-standards. \"Roseanne Barr compares Valerie Jarrett to a primate, is instantly fired and publicly shamed,\" it says. \"Whoopie (sic) Goldberg calls Judge Jeanine Pirro Trump’s sand ni**er.. Keeps job & is applauded by ABC.\" This post, which was published on Facebook on July 22, was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.) Pirro and Goldberg definitely had an argument, but there’s no evidence that Goldberg ever used a racist slur against Pirro. Here’s what’s true — and what’s not. The revival of \"Roseanne\" was canceled in May 2018 hours after Barr, the show’s star, tweeted this about Jarrett: \"muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby=vj.\" \"The tweet sparked a public firestorm, including from ‘Roseanne’ star Sara Gilbert,\" ABC News then reported. \"It also prompted Wanda Sykes, a consulting producer, to quit the show in the leadup to the cancellation.\" Channing Dungey, the president of ABC Entertainment, is quoted in the story as saying the tweet was \"abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent\" with ABC values. A couple months later, in July 2018, Fox News host Jeanine Pirro appeared on the ABC show \"The View.\" Goldberg, a co-host on the show, got into a yelling match with Pirro after Pirro \"appeared to suggest Goldberg suffered from ‘Trump Derangement Syndrome,’\" the Washington Post reported. #### Featured Fact-check ![](\\" logo-black-01/b6cedac93f6e57c68ecc025e5ec29d57.jpg\\") ![](\\" logo-black-01/438dbf066033f99de07598cbcc77ddcb.jpg\\") Threads posts stated on September 2, 2024 in a Threads post Photo shows Vice President Kamala Harris “in the 90s.” ![\\"true\\"](\\" false/33efdb6633e5e2fdc2d4e2f63383a1e0.jpg.\\") ![\\"false\\"](\\" false.jpg\\") By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 4, 2024 Things escalated from there. \"Whoopi, you know what’s horrible?\" Pirro said. \"When people who shouldn’t be here end up murdering the children of American citizens.\" \"You know what’s horrible?\" Goldberg said. \"When the president of the United States whips up people to beat the hell out of people. Say goodbye! I’m done.\" You can watch the exchange here. The show went to commercial and when it came back Goldberg apologized. Pirro was no longer there, but Pirro told fellow Fox News host Sean Hannity that the fight continued backstage, where she said Goldberg used the F-word at her and spit at her. Goldberg confirmed she used the F-word but denied spitting, and she said that Pirro \"called everybody at the table a name I cannot repeat on TV.\" Lauri Hogan, a spokeswoman for ABC, told PolitiFact that Goldberg did not say the slur the Facebook post claims. We couldn’t find any credible corroborating evidence online that Goldberg said it, nor did we find such an article in the Nexis news database. We found no evidence that Goldberg called Pirro a racist insult. We rate this post False. #### Read About Our Process The Principles of the Truth-O-Meter ### Our Sources Facebook post, July 22, 2019 The New York Times, \"After racist tweet, Roseanne Barr’s show is canceled by ABC,\" May 29, 2019 ABC News, \"‘Roseanne’ canceled after Roseanne Barr’s racist tweet about Valerie Jarrett,\" May 29, 2018 The Washington Post, \"Whoopi vs. Judge Jeanine: ‘Trump Derangement Syndrome’ comment sparks yelling match on ‘The View,’\" July 20, 2018 The View, \"Judge Jeanine Pirro on new book & more,\" July 19, 2019 The Hill, \"Whoopi Goldberg: Pirro wasn’t kicked out, she left cursing at staff,\" July 20, 2019 Email interview with Lauri Hogan, entertainment spokeswoman, ABC, July 25, 2019 ## Browse the Truth-O-Meter ### More by Ciara O\'Rourke slide 4 to 6 of 15 ![](\\" logo-black-01/b6cedac93f6e57c68ecc025e5ec29d57.jpg\\") ![](\\" logo-black-01/438dbf066033f99de07598cbcc77ddcb.jpg\\") Threads posts stated on September 20, 2024 in a Threads post: “Oprah is a sex trafficker. She’s been caught and now has to be escorted around” by U.S. marshals ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 25, 2024 ![](\\" logo-black-01/b6cedac93f6e57c68ecc025e5ec29d57.jpg\\") ![](\\" logo-black-01/438dbf066033f99de07598cbcc77ddcb.jpg\\") Threads posts stated on September 23, 2024 in a Threads post: Says John Fetterman said he’s “voting for Trump.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 25, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on September 22, 2024 in a Facebook post: “Taylor Swift’s concert attendance drops after Harris endorsement: ‘No Fans, just empty seats and echoes.’” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 25, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Viral image stated on September 30, 2024 in a Threads post: Image shows a photo of former President Donald Trump wading through floodwater after Hurricane Helene. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • October 2, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on September 25, 2024 in a Facebook post: “Georgia coach Kirby Smart\'s family ends relationship with Taylor Swift: ‘We do not support her endorsement.’” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • October 1, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Viral image stated on September 20, 2024 in a Facebook post: “TD Jakes MYSTERIOUSLY VANISHES: The search for the renowned bishop begins!” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • October 1, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Viral image stated on September 29, 2024 in an Instagram post: “Video shows Kamala (Harris) responding to someone talking through her earrings that she allegedly wore during the Trump vs. Harris debate.” ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 30, 2024 ![](\\" logo-black-01/b6cedac93f6e57c68ecc025e5ec29d57.jpg\\") ![](\\" logo-black-01/438dbf066033f99de07598cbcc77ddcb.jpg\\") Threads posts stated on September 18, 2024 in a Threads post: Melania Trump “was an escort.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 27, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on September 23, 2024 in a Facebook post: “Serena Williams reportedly passes away following tragic car crash in Texas.” ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 27, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on September 25, 2024 in a Facebook post: “Elon Musk silences Taylor Swift: Shocking ban wipes out 1 million followers and costs her a staggering $72 million!” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 27, 2024 ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/322c808c00e73c217d17772ddd5a0eb5.jpg\\") ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/8b142c91ebe468a84a192e6df2b7b994.jpg\\") Instagram posts stated on September 23, 2024 in an Instagram post: Haitians are responsible for the disappearance of 16 cats in Bangor, Maine. ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 26, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on September 15, 2024 in a Facebook post: Photos show a toddler “saved” by Deputy Tyler Cooper. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 26, 2024 ![](\\" logo-black-01/b6cedac93f6e57c68ecc025e5ec29d57.jpg\\") ![](\\" logo-black-01/438dbf066033f99de07598cbcc77ddcb.jpg\\") Threads posts stated on September 24, 2024 in a Threads post: Says Donald Trump said, “Women are miserable — not sexy, not safe.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 26, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on September 21, 2024 in a Facebook post: “Taylor Swift faces a 10-game NFL ban following controversial political involvement.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 26, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on September 23, 2024 in a Facebook post: Photo shows missing couple Raymond Peterson and his wife, Sophie. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 26, 2024 ![](\\" logo-black-01/b6cedac93f6e57c68ecc025e5ec29d57.jpg\\") ![](\\" logo-black-01/438dbf066033f99de07598cbcc77ddcb.jpg\\") Threads posts stated on September 20, 2024 in a Threads post: “Oprah is a sex trafficker. She’s been caught and now has to be escorted around” by U.S. marshals ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 25, 2024 ![](\\" logo-black-01/b6cedac93f6e57c68ecc025e5ec29d57.jpg\\") ![](\\" logo-black-01/438dbf066033f99de07598cbcc77ddcb.jpg\\") Threads posts stated on September 23, 2024 in a Threads post: Says John Fetterman said he’s “voting for Trump.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 25, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on September 22, 2024 in a Facebook post: “Taylor Swift’s concert attendance drops after Harris endorsement: ‘No Fans, just empty seats and echoes.’” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 25, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Viral image stated on September 30, 2024 in a Threads post: Image shows a photo of former President Donald Trump wading through floodwater after Hurricane Helene. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • October 2, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on September 25, 2024 in a Facebook post: “Georgia coach Kirby Smart\'s family ends relationship with Taylor Swift: ‘We do not support her endorsement.’” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • October 1, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Viral image stated on September 20, 2024 in a Facebook post: “TD Jakes MYSTERIOUSLY VANISHES: The search for the renowned bishop begins!” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • October 1, 2024 ### No evidence Whoopi Goldberg called Jeanine Pirro a slur * ![](\\" ![](\\" Viral image stated on September 30, 2024 in a Threads post: Image shows a photo of former President Donald Trump wading through floodwater after Hurricane Helene. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • October 2, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Donald Trump stated on September 29, 2024 in a rally in Erie, PA: Kamala Harris \"let in the 13,099 convicted murderers and opposes all efforts to find them and to remove them.\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Marta Campabadal Graus • October 2, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on September 25, 2024 in a Facebook post: “Georgia coach Kirby Smart\'s family ends relationship with Taylor Swift: ‘We do not support her endorsement.’” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • October 1, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Viral image stated on September 20, 2024 in a Facebook post: “TD Jakes MYSTERIOUSLY VANISHES: The search for the renowned bishop begins!” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • October 1, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" X posts stated on September 29, 2024 in X posts: A biolab caught fire in Georgia right before the 2024 election. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Sofia Ahmed • October 1, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Donald Trump stated on September 29, 2024 in a rally in Erie, Pennsylvania: Vice President Kamala Harris “even wants to legalize fentanyl.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Amy Sherman • October 1, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" House Majority PAC stated on September 9, 2024 in a television ad: Laurie Buckhout is “trying to get to Congress to pass a national abortion ban, allowing politicians to ban abortions with no exceptions and prosecute women if they get an abortion, treating women right here like criminals.” ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" barely-true.jpg\\") By Paul Specht • October 1, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Donald Trump Jr. stated on September 9, 2024 in a post: “Less than three months ago, Kamala Harris and her administration blocked 300,000 unvetted Haitian migrants from being deported out of our country.\" ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" barely-true.jpg\\") By Kwasi Gyamfi Asiedu • September 30, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" X posts stated on September 30, 2024 in an X post: Photo shows President Joe Biden lounging on the beach \"while towns all over America were being wiped out” by Hurricane Helene. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Samantha Putterman • September 30, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Social Media stated on September 30, 2024 in in social media posts: “Biden Announces: ‘2.4 billion more to Ukraine’ but ‘no more aid for Hurricane Helene.’” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Jeff Cercone • September 30, 2024 Load more ### Support independent fact-checking. 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Whoopi Goldberg kept her job and was applauded by ABC after calling Jeanine Pirro a racist slur