Whoopi Goldberg Talks About 'The View' Tell-All Book, Rosie O'Donnell and That 'SNL' Parody

Whoopi Goldberg doesn't have time for all that drama, as evidenced by the looks she gives over her glasses at anyone bringing nonsense, but she still spoke candidly about all of it on "Watch What Happens Live."

"The View" co-host opened up about her feelings on the recent tell-all book about her show, "Ladies Who Punch," as well as the recent parody on "Saturday Night Live," with a new cast-member stepping in to portray her after Kenan Thompson had been doing it for years.

Plus, she's still laughing about all those rumors that she had been tapped to possibly replace Kevin Hart as Oscars host after all the controversy he found himself mired in, though she did learn something important through that ordeal.

While it might come as a surprise for someone who moderates a daily topical news show, Whoopi admitted that she hadn't even read "Ladies Who Punch." At the same time, she suggested that she'd been approached by the author while he was writing it as well.

"Listen, I didn't talk to the guy, I didn't care about the book," she said plainly.

When Andy Cohen asked her why she doesn't care about it, Whoopi responded, "Because what happens for me at work is not for everybody-- It's not their business."

Further, she has a pretty strict stance on gossip. "I don't like talking out of school and I don't like other people talking out of school," she explained. "So for me, you just have to leave it there. That's for me, but I don't know about everybody else."

Well we do know about everybody else, and gossip still rules, as evidenced by the popularity of the book and the people who were willing to dish about their experience on the show, including Rosie O'Donnell, who left the show twice and had some very choice words about Whoopi.

When Andy asked her about those, Whoopi said tersely, "That's okay."

In other words, Rosie can think what she wants. Whoopi didn't care before the book was published and she still doesn't. Andy must have gotten the hint, too, that this was a dead topic because he threw to commercial after her response."

She did light up a little bit when asked about her favorite and least-favorite guests. At first it looked like she was shutting it down as more of that office gossip she doesn't get up to, but then she did remember a cherished moment.

"After Robin [Williams] passed, Billy [Crystal] came on," she said. "That was-- for me it was a great moment. It was a great moment."

The three comedians became close friends through their work together on the Comic Relief charity telethons that aired sporadically from 1986 into the 2000s, remaining in touch throughout the years.

As for her least favorite guest? "I don't even give them a thought."

Whoopi couldn't help but laugh about all the rumors that she was being approached by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences about replacing Kevin Hart as host of these past Oscars.

As she revealed when she returned to "The View" in March after an unexpected absence, "I was literally in the hospital trying not to die." One thing that harrowing experience taught her is that she needs to learn to slow down and listen to her body more. Sometimes you can't just power through everything.

Recently on "Saturday Night Live," Kenan Thompson handed over the reins of his classic Whoopi Goldberg to Leslie Jones, who got to portray the legendary comedian in the show's latest parody of "The View." And Whoopi had to admit she was thrilled with the change.

"Well, I love Leslie Jones," she said. But perhaps more importantly, "It's about time that a woman is actually playing me."

On top of that, she added, "It's about time that they had enough women on the show to play the show. So you know, you can't be mad at that. And, it was just funny."

"SNL" has had a problem in recent years with its casting, coming under particular fire five years ago when they hired six white guys as featured players. At the time, the show had no black women in the cast, and it had had very few over the previous 38 seasons.

By the close of that season, Sasheer Zamata would join the cast in response to the controversy. Leslie Jones moved from writer to performer the following year, with Ego Nwodim joining this season.

Zamata would leave after four seasons, but clearly the show continues to evolve and is focused more on diversity and representation in its casting, though many would argue there's still work to be done there.

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