Goldberg blasts American Idol

Whoopi Goldberg said on last Wednesday's episode of The View that American Idol has had a negative effect on society. “We as a society love to watch stuff to judge folks. I've always thought that the beginning of the downfall of society was with — what's the name of that show?” she asked an off-screen producer, who replied American Idol. Goldberg later said, “Once we gave people the ability to judge other people, I think we ran amok with it, and it's gone out of control.” Goldberg acknowledged that now that Idol airs on ABC, the same network as The View, “it's a very different show.” American Idol debuted in 2002 on Fox, and switched networks in 2018.