“The View” co-host Whoopi Goldberg, who’s been absent from the show for a month, told fans Friday that she almost died following a recent battle with pneumonia.
In a video message aired during the show, Goldberg, 63, addressed her health for the first time since her absence, saying she is recovering.
“I am up and moving around,” she said. “Not as fast as I’d like to be, but I am OK, I’m not dead.”
Goldberg explained that she had pneumonia in both lungs and was septic, meaning the infection had spread through her bloodstream.
“I came very, very close to leaving the Earth. Good news, I didn’t,” she said. “Thank you for all of your good wishes. All of the wonderful things that people have been saying. Even people who are not huge fans of mine, have actually said nice things about me. We all know that’s going to change when I get back, but for right now, it’s brilliant.”
While Goldberg didn’t specify a date for her return, she assured her co-hosts that she cannot wait to see them.
“This has been interesting, and I’ll tell you about it when we’re all at the table,” she said. “To everybody, see you soon.”