Whoopi Goldberg suggested to Super Bowl attendees to impersonate another race as a means to mock Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) during an unusual segment on The View this Monday.
The discussion revolved around Kristi Noem’s commitment to having ICE agents present at February’s game in California, following Bad Bunny’s decision to avoid touring in America due to concerns about ICE interference.
Joy Behar, referring to the DHS Secretary as ‘the one who shot the puppy’, mentioned that she would be in attendance.
Goldberg humorously proposed: ‘Here’s the idea. Apply some cocoa butter, enjoy a bit of sun—this might be your only chance to do this—then adopt a Latin accent.’
‘See if she can tell who’s who,’ the Oscar-winner continued, to scattered laughs and applause.
Behar recalled how during the Holocaust, both Jewish and non-Jewish people wore the Star of David to prevent Jews from being singled out.
The remarks ignited fierce debate online, with some saying the quip went too far.
‘Hey so, I knew the ladies on The View were crazy, but this… this is next level,’ one person said.
Whoopi Goldberg told Super Bowl attendees to don brownface to troll Immigration and Customs Enforcement in a bizarre exchange on The View Monday
The discussion centered on Kristi Noem’s assurance that ICE agents would attend the game in California, despite Bad Bunny declining to tour the US over fears of being targeted by these agents.
A second added: ‘If it had been a white person saying what she said, everybody would be up in arms about it.’
Conservative commentator Megyn Kelly weighed in on Monday, writing on X: ‘I hear this is racist.’
The comments sparked questions from critics about whether the show would be canceled.
Just hours later, Donald Trump called the NFL ‘crazy’ for booking Bad Bunny as its halftime performance.
Following the announcement of the 31-year-old artist as the halftime show performer, some in the MAGA community pointed to an interview where Bad Bunny cited the perceived threat of ICE during events as the reason for excluding mainland US stops from his tour itinerary.
He cited the lengthy residency in Puerto Rico – a US territory – and the Trump Administration’s increasing use of ICE agents as reasons why he wouldn’t perform.
‘Man, honestly, yes,’ he replied. ‘There were many reasons why I didn’t show up in the US, and none of them were out of hate — I’ve performed there many times.
When the 31-year-old rapper was announced as the halftime show performer, MAGA world jumped on an interview where Bad Bunny called ICE’s potential presence outside shows as the reason he didn’t schedule any mainland US tour dates
‘All of (the shows) have been successful. All of them have been magnificent. I’ve enjoyed connecting with Latinos who have been living in the US.
‘But specifically, for a residency here in Puerto Rico, when we are an unincorporated territory of the US… People from the US could come here to see the show. Latinos and Puerto Ricans of the United States could also travel here, or to any part of the world.
‘But there was the issue of — like, f*****g ICE could be outside (my concert). And it’s something that we were talking about and very concerned about.’
Kristi Noem confirmed ICE’s plans to surround the Super Bowl and the anti-Trump halftime performer, and shared a warning to the National Football League.
‘The NFL sucks and we’ll win and God will bless us and we’ll stand and be proud of ourselves at the end of the day,’ the DHS Secretary said, when asked if she had a message to the league and the rapper.
‘They won’t be able to sleep at night because they don’t know what they believe and they’re so weak. We’ll fix it.’
Donald Trump called the NFL’s decision to give the Super Bowl halftime show to Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny ‘crazy’
She was then asked to confirm Trump advisor Corey Lewandowski’s statement that agents will surround the game in Santa Clara
‘Yeah, we’ll be all over that place. People should not be coming to the Super Bowl unless they’re law-abiding Americans who love this country,’ she added.
Earlier this week, Lewandowski revealed agents will have a presence at America’s biggest event and bemoaned Bad Bunny’s selection to perform.
‘It’s so shameful they picked someone who seems to hate America,’ Lewandowski said.
‘There is nowhere you can provide safe haven to people who are in this country illegally. Not the Super Bowl and no where else. We will find and deport you. That is a very real situation.’
While Lewandowski slammed the NFL for tapping the singer to play the big game, he claimed that ICE would have a presence at the big event anyway.
‘I don’t care if it’s a concert for Johnny Smith or Bad Bunny or anybody else. We’re going to do enforcement everywhere. We are going to make Americans safe,’ he said. ‘That is a directive from the president. If you’re in this country illegally, do yourself a favor: Go home.’
Bad Bunny getting the gig follows weeks of speculation over who would perform. The NFL typically announces the artist for the halftime show in Week 1.
Kristi Noem confirmed ICE’s plans to surround the Super Bowl and anti-Trump halftime performer Bad Bunny, with a blunt message for the National Football League
Donald Trump attended last year’s Super Bowl in New Orleans
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell had long teased pop superstar Taylor Swift to perform at the show, especially after she announced her engagement to Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.
‘We would always love to have Taylor play. She is a special, special talent, and obviously she would be welcome at any time,’ Goodell said on the TODAY Show earlier this month.
When pressed by host Savannah Guthrie for more details, Goodell replied, ‘I can’t tell you anything about it’ before adding that it was a ‘maybe’.
This marks the third time in the last five Super Bowls where the artist performing was a rapper.
At Super Bowl LVI in Los Angeles, a cast of Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, 50 Cent, Anderson .Paak, and Kendrick Lamar performed. Last year, at Super Bowl LIX, Lamar was the main headliner alongside R&B artist SZA.
According to the Spotify Weekly Top Artists Global chart for the week of September 19, Bad Bunny is the second-most streamed artist behind Swift.
He has over 77million monthly listeners on the platform and over 101million followers on Spotify.
Bad Bunny has been credited with popularizing the sound of Spanish-language rap and trap music worldwide.
He has won three Grammy Awards, eleven Latin Grammy Awards, and has two albums which have gone Platinum in the United States (YHLQMDLG and El Último Tour Del Mundo, both of which were released in 2020).
