Whoopi Goldberg is under fire after defending Tiger Woods just weeks after his DUI arrest, igniting a firestorm over what critics call her tone-deaf support of the embattled golf star.
Instead of facing full accountability, Woods quietly checked into a treatment facility in Zurich, Switzerland — and Goldberg’s public plea for “grace” has many wondering if the golf legend is still getting a free pass, with reckless behavior excused while the public seethes.
After his March 27 DUI arrest following an SUV rollover, Tiger Woods passed a breathalyzer but failed other sobriety tests, and two hydrocodone pills were found in his pocket. With a history of multiple back surgeries—including an Achilles repair and last October’s L4-L5 disc replacement—he reportedly had a prescription for the pain medication.
Goldberg was responding to a video clip shared on “The View” of “Barstool Sports” founder Dave Portnoy going off about why Woods doesn’t have a driver when he’s medicated. The podcast host said that he had no sympathy for the golf pro, but Goldberg had a different opinion on the subject.
“Put him in jail for a little bit,” Portnoy shouted on his “Wake Up Barstool” podcast. “Make him wake up. Get a driver. You’re going to kill somebody.”
The “Sister Act” star expressed that Woods was a friend of hers, and she wished him “nothing but the best.”
“I don’t like kicking a man when he’s down,” added Goldberg. “I’ll leave that to other folks.”
Her co-host, Sunni Hostin, also defended Woods and spoke about the possibility of him having to give up the sport due to the athlete’s back issues.
“I’m not excusing the fact that he was driving while under the influence,” she said. “But I think we need to show someone who is a sports legend, who may have been pushed very hard as a child, and have some grace for the pain he’s living with and the fact that, as an athlete, he is now having to struggle with the fact that he may have to give up the one thing he loves to do.”
Hostin added that Woods had 20 surgeries on his legs and seven back surgeries, and he told the police that he had a prescription for the medication because he is living with chronic pain.
After her co-host Joy Behar agreed with Portnoy and wondered why Woods doesn’t get a driver with all of his wealth, Goldberg replied, “I’ll tell you why. Because you don’t want to be that guy that’s just, ‘Well, why is he always being driven around?’ You can’t win…. Look, he’s getting what he needs.”
Behar added that Woods should still get a driver. “He’s very rich. Just get a driver, just not Justin Timberlake.” Timberlake received a DWI in 2024 while driving in Sag Harbor, New York, though body footage of the arrest wasn’t released until two weeks ago.
Reactions to Goldberg’s comments on social media led to her being roasted for defending Woods, while Hostin also caught some strays.
“Whoopi, stop making excuses for grown-ass men! ‘Because I know him’ means nothing! Tiger has problems, just like Timberlake and Britney Spears! I don’t care about their personal problems. There’s no excuse for them driving a vehicle impaired or recklessly!”
Another replied, “Whoopi, I disagree with you on Tiger Woods. Joy Behar said he should get a driver, but you said you would tell us why not. You went on to say, because you don’t want to be that guy… That is bulls—! Stop justifying,”
“He doesn’t want a driver because that driver will know his little secrets of where he is going, where he has gone and what he is doing and who he is with. Stop making excuses like he somehow is the only one who has pain issues or is going through something nobody else in the world is. He is smart enough to know better, but perhaps some time in jail will make him better understand,” added another.
“Sunny saying we should give grace because he’s a sports legend rubbed me the wrong way,” one noted. “Yes, have compassion, for sure, but come on, THAT is being elitist.”
BREAKING: Money can buy a lot of things, but it can’t buy you out of bodycam footage.
Tiger Woods was just cuffed for DUI after a rollover crash in Martin County, FL. He admitted to looking at his phone before his SUV flipped. He passed a breathalyzer but refused a urine test… pic.twitter.com/OMAg4pQgpu
— Desiree (@DesireeAmerica4) April 2, 2026
Woods looked tired and exhausted during his arrest, which was later shared on social media. He repeatedly nodded his head back and forth, yawning in the back of the police vehicle on the way to the police station.
Before the arrest, Woods called his girlfriend and father-in-law. Known for his unusual friendship with the president, attention surged after he began dating Vanessa Trump, Donald Trump Jr.’s ex, in 2024.
In a video, he ignored police instructions after walking off and then being told to come back, saying, “I was just talking to the president.”
Vanessa showed support for her man with a post shared in her Instagram Stories on Friday. She shared a picture of the couple lying in a hammock with the text “Love you” and several heart emojis.
Woods announced that he was going into treatment with a post on social media.
“I know and understand the seriousness of the situation I find myself in today,” he wrote. “I am stepping away for a period of time to seek treatment and focus on my health. This is necessary in order for me to prioritize my well-being and work toward lasting recovery.”
The athlete pleaded not guilty and will return to court next month on May 5.
Woods was previously arrested for a DUI back in 2017, where hydrocodone was also found in his system. The golf pro was also severely injured in a single rollover crash in 2021.
