Whoopi Goldberg Misses ‘The View’ Season 27 Premiere After COVID Diagnosis

The View kicked off its 27th season on Tuesday, but Whoopi Goldberg’s seat at the table was empty.

The show’s longtime co-host, 67, was forced to miss the show’s premiere after testing positive for COVID-19.

“As you can see, Whoopi is not here. She has COVID. It’s back, it’s back!” co-host Joy Behar told the audience, referring to a growing uptick in COVID cases across the U.S.

Behar, 80, was quick to assure viewers that Goldberg is doing well and will be back in action soon. “She’s on the mend, she’s on the tail end and will probably be back this week. But sorry she’s not here, for those of you who were looking forward to seeing her,” she said.

Goldberg’s latest illness marks at least her third bout of COVID. In November 2022, the Ghost star began feeling sick prior to The View‘s Nov. 14 episode and tests later confirmed she had contracted the virus. Co-host Sara Haines stepped in as moderator of the show in her place.

In December 2021, Goldberg was noticeably absent from the show after a possible exposure to COVID. At the time, Behar said her colleague had tested negative and felt “fine” but was staying home out of an abundance of caution.

“Whoopi wanted me to tell everyone she feels fine and healthy but because she was in close contact with someone who tested positive, she won’t be here today and tomorrow,” Behar explained.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

However, Goldberg later tested positive for COVID in January 2022 and missed several episodes after the holiday break. She told her fellow co-hosts about her diagnosis via livestream, sharing that she was experiencing mild symptoms and taking time off to rest.

“It was a shock, because I’m triple vaxxed, I haven’t been anywhere, I haven’t done anything,” Goldberg told her colleagues.

“It’s one of those things where you think, I’ve done everything I was supposed to do… Yeah, it doesn’t stop omicron,” she added.

Goldberg also missed several days of work due to an illness earlier this year. Behar explained her absence on the show’s Feb. 21 episode, saying, “Whoopi is still out, coughing up. I’m sorry, you’re stuck with us. She’s fighting a bad cold.”

The following day, she shared that the comedian was sick with “a bad virus of some sort.”