Whoopi Under Fire for 'Jewish Princess' Chicken Recipe from '93 Cookbook
Actress and co-host of The View Whoopi Goldberg came under fire last week for some highly insensitive and incorrect statements regarding the horrors of The Holocaust, and was thusly suspended from the show for a period of two weeks.
During that time, both her employer, ABC, and the Anti-Defamation League hoped that the longtime Hollywood staple would reflect on her alleged antisemitism, and come back with a clearer idea of just what the horrid historical event meant for the Jewish people.
But now, just a few days into Goldberg’s hiatus, the resurfacing of a recipe that she once penned for a cookbook has resurfaced, and it has Americans wondering if Whoopi might have always had some sort of issue with Jewish folks.
In 1993, the “Sister Act” star, whose real name is Caryn Johnson, submitted a recipe called “Jewish American Princess Fried Chicken” for a charity cookbook, according to the Daily Mail.
The outlet reported Friday that Goldberg’s recipe entry for the “Cooking in The Litchfield Hills” cookbook featured a step-by-step process for creating the dish with off-color anecdotes in jest.
“Send chauffeur to your favorite butcher shop for the chicken (save the brown paper bag),” Goldberg’s recipe reportedly says. “Have your cook 1) Melt equal parts oil and butter 3/4 deep in skillet over moderate heat.”
“2) Put flour, seasoned with remaining ingredients, into brown paper bag. 3) Rinse chicken parts and place in bag.”
And then…
“Then you tightly close top of bag (watch your nails) and shake 10 times.
“Hand bag to Cook, go dress for dinner. While you dress, have Cook preheat oven to 350 degrees and brown chicken slowly in skillet. When evenly browned, have Cook place chicken in dish in oven. Have Cook prepare rest of meal while you touch up your makeup.
“In about half an hour, voila! Dinner is served! You must be exhausted,” Goldberg’s recipe concludes.
And, in a foreshadowing of things to come…
Goldberg’s recipe was met with intense backlash at the time by the Anti-Defamation League, which labeled it “insulting” and “anti-Semitic.”
“It’s a lousy recipe with insensitive and anti-Semitic ingredients,” the organization, helmed by its National Director Abraham Foxman, fumed at the time. “Whoopi should know better.
“She needs some sensitivity training, unfortunately. The good people who published it need some sensitivity training too.”
With nearly 30 years separating these incidents, one has to wonder if there is any hope of rehabilitating Goldberg’s antisemitic slant at all, or if perhaps her suspension should be extended indefinitely.
