Whoopi Goldberg’s Italy trip stirs envy among ‘The View’ co-hosts

Hold onto your cappuccinos, folks—Whoopi Goldberg has jetted off to Italy, leaving her co-hosts on The View green with envy.

Goldberg, 69, is currently basking in the Sicilian sun, accepting a prestigious award for her memoir Bits and Pieces: My Mother, My Brother and Me at a renowned book festival, as the Daily Mail reports.

Her absence from the talk show for the entire week has sparked playful jealousy among her colleagues, and who can blame them?

Goldberg honored at Taobuk Festival

Joy Behar, stepping in as show moderator, couldn’t resist a little jab, saying, “We are all jealous of Whoopi today because she’s in Italy — I hope it’s 100 degrees.”

Well, Joy, it’s probably not quite that hot, but the scenery sure is stunning as Goldberg receives her accolade at the Taobuk-Taormina International Book Festival, now in its 15th year.

This event, held at the ancient Greek theater in Taormina, was even broadcast on television, showcasing the festival’s theme of “Boundaries” and its focus on cultural responsibilities.

Memoir success, festival highlights

Goldberg, dressed in a striking black and white jacket over a classic black dress, shared her gratitude on social media with a photo captioned, “Thank you (Grazie!) @taobukfestival.”

Her memoir, released earlier this year, soared to the top as an instant New York Times bestseller, earning a stellar 4.7 out of 5 stars from over 3,600 Amazon reviews.

Clearly, the book struck a chord, and now Italy is rolling out the red carpet for her literary achievement.

Show hiatus and Goldberg’s planned return

While Goldberg soaks up the Italian acclaim, back home, The View carries on with Behar at the helm and Ana Navarro joining Monday’s Hot Topics discussion.

The show itself is gearing up for its annual hiatus starting June 30, with a return planned for July 7.

Goldberg is expected to rejoin Behar, Sunny Hostin, Sara Haines, Navarro, and Alyssa Farah Griffin when the program resumes.

Controversy shadows Goldberg’s career

Let’s not pretend Goldberg’s time on The View since 2007 has been all sunshine and awards — her tenure as co-host and moderator has often stirred the pot.

Just last week, she drew attention for comparing struggles in the U.S. to harsh conditions under oppressive regimes, saying, “We have been known in this country to tie gay folks to the car.”

Her comment, following Alyssa Farah Griffin’s remarks on severe foreign policies, feels like a reach — sometimes, apples-to-oranges comparisons do more harm than good in serious discussions, but more of the same is almost certain to emerge once the show resumes production.