NYC Officials Demand Apology from Whoopi Goldberg for Accusations Against Bakery Regarding Denied Order.
‘Not everybody wakes up every day thinking about politics,’ said the Staten Island borough president.
Multiple New York City officials have called on Whoopi Goldberg, one of the hosts of “The View,” to issue an apology to a local bakery owner after Goldberg said she was denied service for political reasons.
Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella was among the group of local leaders and supporters who joined the owner of Holtermann’s Bakery, Jill Holtermann, for a news conference late last week after Goldberg “besmirched and defamed” the bakery owner.
On Nov. 13, Goldberg, an outspoken Democrat who backed Vice President Kamala Harris, celebrated her 69th birthday on ABC’s “The View” by providing a tray of Charlotte Russe cakes. However, she claimed on the show that the bakery refused to make the cakes for her.
“Now, I should tell you, Charlotte Russe has no political leanings, and the place that made these refused to make them for me,” she said. “They said that their ovens had gone down, but folks went and got them anyway, which is why I’m not telling you who made them.
“It’s not because I’m a woman, but perhaps they did not like my politics,” Goldberg continued. “But that’s OK because you know what? Listen, this is my mother’s celebration. Pick these up and celebrate with me and my mom. Thank you, everyone, for celebrating my birthday today.”
Later, Holtermann told news outlets that it was her bakery, but she said that there was no politics involved. Instead, according to Holtermann, her equipment had malfunctioned.
A day later, Goldberg, whose real name is Caryn Elaine Johnson, responded on Instagram that she believes it was still about politics.
She added that “it’s all okay … because I enjoyed my delicious dessert and I had a happy, sweet birthday.”
In the news conference, Fossella confirmed that the bakery’s decades-old boiler had malfunctioned and had to be replaced, so the store didn’t want to commit to making a large order it couldn’t fulfill.
“Just say you’re sorry so we can put this behind us,” he said.
Making an appearance alongside Fossella, Holtermann told the press conference, “I know hard how hard my family has worked to keep this business alive.”
Staten Island Councilman David Carr also said at the presser that he wants “to send a message to the person who decided she was too important for a boiler breakdown.”
“She had to have her pastries and if it wasn’t coming to her, it must have been someone else’s fault. It must have been a directed insult to her,” he said.
The Epoch Times contacted a representative for ABC for comment Sunday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.