Whoopi Goldberg, actress, author, comedian, well-known television personality, and co-host of ABC’s daytime talk show The View has been temporarily suspended as co-host following comments she made on the show earlier this week. The executive ABC producer in charge of this decision, Kim Godwin, was quoted by The Hollywood Reporter stating that “Just last week I noted that the culture at ABC News is one that is driven, kind, inclusive, respectful, and transparent. Whoopi’s comments do not align with those values.”

The controversial statements Goldberg made occurred on Monday’s episode of The View when discussing a public school’s banning of Art Spiegleman’s Maus, an allegorical graphic novel recounting Spiegalman’s interviews with his father, a Polish Holocaust survivor. She is quoted to have said, “let’s be truthful about it because Holocaust isn’t about race. It’s not about race. It’s not about race. It’s about man’s inhumanity to man.”

Following the airing of this episode, many fans spoke with criticisms towards Goldberg’s statements and the responsibilities that she has as a co-host of the show. Surely, the impact of her words was soon felt by Goldberg, as she prompted Tuesday’s episode with a formal apology, along with an extended one posted to social media. As well, she invited CEO of the Anti-Defamation League Jonathan Greenblatt to lead a conversation following the controversy.

Although many fans of the show appreciated the swift action on ABC’s part, as well as the public apologies made by Goldberg herself, others have shared the opinion that perhaps just the apology made by Goldberg would have sufficed, and have called the decision for suspension unnecessary. Regardless, fellow co-host Joy Behar addressed the empty seat beside her at the start of Wednesday’s show by saying, “You all saw the news: Whoopi will be back here in two weeks, OK.”