Whoopi Goldberg defended Harrison Butker on the May 16 episode of The View amidst controversy over his recent commencement speech at Benedictine College. The Kansas City Chiefs kicker has faced backlash for his remarks, which have been criticized as sexist and anti-LGBTQIA+.

Goldberg, addressing her co-hosts and the audience, emphasized the importance of respecting differing opinions. “Listen, I like when people say what they need to say. He’s at a Catholic college, he’s a staunch Catholic, these are his beliefs, and he’s welcome to them,” she stated.

The actress and host then clarified that while people do not have to believe or accept Butker’s views, they should respect his right to express them. “We wanna give respect to people whose ideas are different from ours,” Goldberg explained.

Drawing a parallel to Colin Kaepernick’s protest during the national anthem in 2016, the 68-year-old highlighted the need for mutual respect. “I’m OK with him saying whatever he says, and the women who were sitting there, if they take his advice, good for them, they’ll be happy. If they don’t, good for them, they’ll be happy in a different way. That’s my attitude,” she commented, receiving some applause from the audience.

An image from the May 16 episode of ‘The View’ of Whoopi Goldberg. Goldberg defended Harrison Butker and his controversial speech at Benedictine College in the episode. THE VIEW/ABC

Goldberg also argued that Butker, 28, should not lose his job over his beliefs. “I have the right to say what I say. He has the right to say what he says,” she asserted. “When you say to somebody, ‘I don’t like what you said, and so I’m gonna get your job taken away, because you disagree with me,’ for me, that is an issue.”

She continued to draw parallels between Butker’s situation to the scrutiny faced by her and her co-hosts for their opinions, “It happens to us all the time! That is why I am standing up for him saying –– I don’t understand what he’s talking about, because I’m not that Catholic –– but I have to say, just like I have my opinions, we have our opinions.”

Thousands sign Christian petition condemning Harrison Butker’s remarks
The other co-hosts chimed in to offer their varied perspectives. Sunny Hostin highlighted the problematic nature of Butker’s comments about the LGBTQ community, noting, “I thought what was most problematic certainly was what he said about the LGBTQ community, and he said it was sinful behavior.”

Alyssa Farah Griffin then criticized the NFL kicker’s praise of the homemaker role, stating, “I have a huge issue with him praising the role of a ‘homemaker’ when he also ignores half of the Bible which encourages women to be leaders in the community.” Joy Behar, however, took a different approach, suggesting Butker had “mother issues” due to his mother’s success as a physicist and recommending he seek therapy.