Whoopi Goldberg was hoping for one short day when it came to “Wicked” talk.
On Tuesday’s episode of “The View,” the 69-year-old pretended to sleep as the group discussed a “Wicked” meme involving its stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo.
Goldberg placed her chin firmly into her palm after introducing the viral interview moment during the show’s Hot Topics segment.
Tracy E. Gilchrist for Out magazine told Erivo and Grande that fans of the project “are holding space” with the lyrics of “Defying Gravity,” which sparked an emotional reaction from Erivo, 37, during their press tour.
“Apparently, this has struck a cord with people. Why? I don’t know,” Goldberg said during the ABC program.
Co-hosts Sunny Hostin and Alyssa Farah Griffin then channeled their inner Erivo and Grande, re-creating the finger embrace while the audience laughed.
“What does holding space mean?” Joy Behar eventually questioned, to which Hostin, 56, explained, it’s the “practice of making space for somebody else’s experience and centering them” that “fosters listening and empathizing,” per Psychology Today.
“Am I supposed to hold space for Trump supporters now?” Behar, 82, teased. Meanwhile, Griffin, 35, noted how “perfectly unhinged the whole press tour is” for “Wicked.”
Behar then pointed to Goldberg nodding off at the head of the table, and stated, “Whoopi took a nap throughout this entire segment.”
Added Hostin: “She’s holding space for her self-care!”
Goldberg then woke up from her deep sleep, looked around, smiled and sent the show to a commercial break.
Gilchrist has since been mocked by the internet for creating the completely nonsensical phrase, but told Variety on Monday that the interview was conducted a day and a half after the Nov. 5 presidential election, and that she went into the sit-down with “sincere” intentions.
The journalist also explained her personal definition for “holding space.”
“I was very inspired by [senior communications director] Tony Morrison from GLAAD,” she told the outlet. “He posted the lyrics of ‘Defying Gravity’ before I did my interview. It was a great explainer. ‘Holding space’ is being physically, emotionally and mentally present with someone or something. For me, it means being in the moment, not being distracted and feeling something on a cellular level.”
“I think you can hold space with lyrics of a song — one you’ve heard hundreds of times — and it can suddenly take on new meaning when you’re a queer person,” Gilchrist continued.
“The Trump administration is targeting LGBTQ+ people via Project 2025. When Cynthia sings ‘I’m through accepting limits,’ there’s power in that. She plays a character who is othered. One who comes to her full power when she is exiled by a charlatan, by a cruel leader.”
The media personality concluded: “There’s a lot of resonance there right now for anyone who is marginalized. For me, holding space is listening to those lyrics anew and finding solace or inspiration.”
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