Whoopi Goldberg Fired Up Over Harvey Weinstein Payouts to Accusers: 'I Couldn't Take the Money'

While admitting that it can be a very "hard decision" for women to make, the moderator said taking payouts sends a bad message to abusers. According to the New York Times expose last week, Weinstein reached at least eight settlements with his accusers, including a $100,000 payout to "Scream" star Rose McGowan for an incident in a hotel in 1997.

"I would say you have to make a decision. It's a hard decision for women, because you say, 'Am I ever going to get the opportunity again? Will I still work? Am I going to be black balled?' said Goldberg during "The View" on Tuesday. "It's a decision that is hard for folks to make. It's not one that would sit well with me, I couldn't take the money."

When co-host Sunny Hostin asked if they're "blaming women" with this line of thought, Whoopi made it clear that wasn't her intention and said women need to band together to create a safe space.

"We need to start talking to our sisters and say you do not have to take this. Your career does not rise and fall on this, because if you take this, people are going to assume that you're OK with the behavior," she said.

"It's not blaming ... if something is happening that's making you uncomfortable and you choose the payout, it allows them to say, you were fine with it, you took the payout," she continued.

Hostin then asked if there's a "real choice if you take the payout when need that job, you have no other way of surviving?"

"Sunny, you have to make the decision. It's a decision. Are you gonna take it? If you have to take it, you have to tell everybody what's happening. But you cannot say no one has the choice, you do, it's hard, it's hard," Goldberg said. "At some point, we have to say to every woman out here, if somebody does this to you, you gotta scream at the top of your lungs and other sisters will help you get another job. But you don't have to take that."

"It's not blaming anybody, it's saying, yeah we know it's a hard decision, let us as other women and other workers help you because this is not acceptable to any of us anywhere," she added.

Goldberg went on to say applaud all the women who have spoken out about Weinstein so far, adding, "We're glad you did it."