Lou Rocco/ABC via Getty ImagesA very happy 60th birthday to Whoopi Goldberg.
So much more than just the woman who sits all the way to the left on The View, we figured it was a perfect day to mention how she remains one of the most successful entertainers around and, though she could just rest on her laurels at this point, she continues to surprise us.
First of all, Goldberg is one of those mythical EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony) winners, so she's achieved unicorn status in the awards department. She's also hosted the Oscars four times, written 11 books (seven of them for kids), hosted more than a dozen Comic Relief specials with Billy Crystal and Robin Williams, and starred in (or loaned her voice to) some of the world's all-time favorite movies, such as Ghost, Sister Act and The Lion King.
We could go on. And it was also hard to cherry-pick just a handful of Goldberg's memorable moments, on camera and off, but—as was the case when she won a Grammy in 1985, the first notch in her EGOT—it's a beginning:
1. Holding Court: Goldberg hosted four times, but her entrance in 1999 dressed as Queen Elizabeth I in comic homage to the monarch's appearance in seemingly every movie that season (or at least in Elizabeth and Shakespeare in Love) was an entrance for the ages (medieval and our own). "Good evening, loyal subjects. I am the African queen," she introduced herself. "Some of you may know me as the virgin queen, but I can't imagine who...I would thank you further but they're telling me we're already running late." Some things never change.
2. Making Us Laugh—and Blush: Goldberg shared the stage with Billy Crystal and the late Robin Williams more than a dozen times as co-host of the star-studded, often-ribald Comic Relief fundraisers that usually aired on HBO (hence the ribaldry) and compiled too many highlights to count. But her treatise on the various "dicks in the news," political correctness and the N-word in 1994 (warning: this clip contains a Sopranos' episode worth of NSFW language) is a reminder of why she's an award-winning stand-up comedian in addition to all her other accomplishments. (Plus, it's a reminder of just how much more heated things could get on The View.)
3. Making Headlines With Ted Danson: For what turned out to be a relatively brief romance that happened to coincide with the release of their big-screen comedy Made in America in 1993, Goldberg dating the Cheers star would have been the most tweeted about topic of the year if there had been a Twitter. Or the Internet. For a few months, they were the world's most controversial celebrity couple, especially after Danson made an appearance at the Friars Club roast of Whoopi in blackface. She later called it as she saw it (in the comedy routine above, actually): "Last year was an interesting year—I had an interesting time with the media, 'cause I was f--kin' somebody I wasn't supposed to be f--kin', see? That's the bottom line. Yeah, a big, wealthy, white man. And people didn't know how to get me out of it. They didn't know what to do."
4. Voicing Her Opinion: Goldberg has not been afraid to take the unpopular side of an argument, whether she was defending Mel Gibson after his slur-spewing DUI arrest, defending Justin Bieber after he used the N-word, or warning against convicting Bill Cosby in the court of public opinion. But though she's proudly set in her ways (more on that later), she's not too stubborn to see reason. Earlier this year she admitted that, though he hasn't been charged with a crime, there were too many Cosby accusations to plead caution on his behalf any longer.
5. Getting Comfortable: It may have been a funny mouth sound the first time, but last Christmas, Goldberg admitted to farting on air. The ladies had a huge laugh over it, and she amiably announced, "I feel so much better now!" Coincidentally, during an interview on The Howard Stern Show (where else, right?) this week, they had a little convo about the joys of being able to freely fart at home without worrying about what some guy is going to think. "And when you're in a relationship with a man, holding in your own gas in the house you paid for seems insane, right?" the host inquired. "It's terrible," the thrice-married Goldberg agreed.
6. Doling Out the Life Lessons: Speaking of those surprises that keep coming, Goldberg's latest book, If Someone Says "You Complete Me," RUN, is about relationships—and how it's OK if you don't want to be in one. "Do you really want to be with someone who's not complete? That means you have to take care of them...I think you have to be a complete person in a relationship," she explained to a probably mock-incredulous Stephen Colbert on The Late Show recently.
"You can't roll with these platitudes because they are not what a real relationship is made of—that's why I'm not in one," she continued, admitting she had come to the realization after three marriages that she didn't want to "do the work."
7. Changing This Man's Life: During an appearance on a Dutch talk show in 2013, a man in the audience got a chance to speak. He said that he was mildly autistic and that Goldberg's role as Guinan in Star Trek: The Next Generation was indeed life-changing for him. Being a Star Trek fan and joining a fan club helped him connect with others. "And now," he said emotionally, "I'm standing here, I am married, it's just a fantastic thing that [a person] can be impacted by one role, and you did that." Whoopi, visibly touched, got up to thank him and give him a hug. "I love you," he said earnestly. "Thank you so much, wow..." she marveled, tearing up.
8. Needing a Minute: On The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon before Thanksgiving last year, she talked about the importance of taking a minute to just friggin' appreciate the good things in life, including your loved ones, around the holidays—and then you can go back to being mad at everything. "I just need a minute!" she insisted. Whoopi and the life lessons, she's unstoppable.
A very happy 60th to you, Whoopi Goldberg—we can't wait to see what you do next!