The View Has New Excuses for Their Names in Epstein Files & Whoopi's Jet Request

Nicholas Fondacaro
February 19th, 2026 4:16 PM

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More than two weeks after NewsBusters broke the story and two days after initially trying to explain away why ABC News moderator Whoopi Goldberg requested to borrow Jeffrey Epstein’s private jet, The View offered up some new excuses for why their co-hosts were in the files. On Thursday’s show, Goldberg’s story completely changed and co-host Joy Behar claimed she only learned that she was at a party with Ghislaine Maxwell from our reporting.

The View kicked off the show by talking about the Epstein files, particularly the arrest of Prince Andrew for allegedly sharing confidential files with Epstein. But it was Behar who wanted to get back to clearing their names.

In NewsBusters’ original reporting about The View co-hosts being in the files, we noted that Behar was included on a guest list for a “William Astor’s dinner” that was also attended by Epstein’s partner in crime, Ghislaine Maxwell.

According to Behar, our reporting was the first time she heard that Maxwell was at the party. She also lamented that she didn’t know everyone who also attended the Trump wedding she once went to either. And despite previously suggesting Trump was automatically guilty since his name was in the files, Behar found it “very tricky” to assign guilt to people:

BEHAR: We’re on the list because we were at a party or a wedding or something that somebody might have been. That's what I found out anyway.

GOLDBERG: No, I --

BEHAR: I was at Trump's wedding to Marla. Maybe Epstein was there too. Who knows? So that means I'm not guilty obviously, but these other ones, how are you going to decide who is really guilty and who is not? It’s very tricky!

 

 

Behar had previously mocked those who claimed they didn’t know anything about associating with Epstein or his inner circle.

Goldberg and co-host Sara Haines didn’t like Behar’s new point of view. “I think it's very clear” and “I don’t think it’s that tricky,” they said, respectively.

After initially failing to actually explain why, how, and what she knew about Epstein’s jet getting requested on her behalf, Goldberg had a refined excuse. According to her, she wasn’t aware that there was an issue with the plane at the time:

GOLDBERG: If you look, you know why my name is there. Because someone was looking for a plane and that's what people do. They go to all the people would have private planes and say, ‘do you have one?’

SUNNY HOSTIN: And you didn't get on the plane.

GOLDBERG: I didn’t get on the plane. I didn't know they were looking for a plane. I had no idea that the plane I was supposed to be on was no longer available. So, I'm named in there like ‘Whoopi Goldberg needs a plane.’

At least that was a more believable excuse than the one she gave two days ago, when she suggested she took a bus from America - across the Atlantic Ocean - to attend the charity event in Monaco.

“There were plenty of people that were named on the list that may have not done anything wrong,” argued co-host Sunny Hostin in her defense.

Additionally, Haines’s indignation for holding people in the files accountable didn’t seem to apply to her friends. Haines ran interference for Goldberg a couple days ago, but had a change of attitude on Thursday when talking about Prince Andrew. “I don't care who shows up. I don't care who is busted in the files (…) [accountability] needs to be done everywhere,” she declared, before Behar reminded folks they were also in the files.

 

 

The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read:

ABC’s The View
February 19
11:07:18 a.m. Eastern

(…)

SARA HAINES: This is not a Republican or Democrat issue. It's an issue of victims and every time -- every time even just talking about it we say, well, the Democrats are saying this, the Republicans -- I don't care about any of them. I don't care who shows up. I don't care who is busted in the file. All I care these victims who have been silenced and continually victimized through no accountability get their moment. And right now they're getting it and some place we have some countries like France, Norway, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania. They’re holding public people accountable and it needs to be done.

SAVANNAH CHRISLEY: Everyone needs to be held accountable.

HAINES: It needs to be done everywhere.

(…)

11:11:12 a.m. Eastern

JOY BEHAR: We’re on the list because we were at a party or a wedding or something that somebody might have been. That's what I found out anyway.

GOLDBERG: No, I --

BEHAR: I was at Trump's wedding to Marla. Maybe Epstein was there too. Who knows? So that means I'm not guilty obviously, but these other ones, how are you going to decide who is really guilty and who is not? It’s very tricky!

[Crosstalk]

GOLDBERG: I think it's very clear.

HAINES: I don’t think it’s that tricky.

[Crosstalk]

GOLDBERG: If you look, you know why my name is there. Because someone was looking for a plane and that's what people do. They go to all the people would have private planes and say, ‘do you have one?’

SUNNY HOSTIN: And you didn't get on the plane.

GOLDBERG: I didn’t get on the plane. I didn't know they were looking for a plane. I had no idea that the plane I was supposed to be on was no longer available. So, I'm named in there like ‘Whoopi Goldberg needs a plane.’

HOSTIN: There are a lot of people who are named -

BEHAR: Marilyn Monroe was on the list.

GOLDBERG: Yes. Elvis also.

HOSTIN: There were plenty of people that were named on the list that may have not done anything wrong.

GOLDBERG: Yeah.

HOSTIN: But I think that there are a lot of people on the list that are guilty of wrongdoing.

BEHAR: Yes, indeed.

(…)

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