Whoopi Goldberg is an Academy, Emmy, Grammy, and Tony Award-winning entertainer. Known for her roles in movies like The Color Purple and Ghost, Goldberg hosts the ABC talk show The View.
Who is Whoopi Goldberg?
Whoopi Goldberg, born Caryn Elaine Johnson on November 13, 1955, is an award-winning actress, TV host, author, and comedian. The 65-year-old was born and raised in Manhattan, NY.
Having never graduated high school, Goldberg worked menial jobs in California in the seventies before joining a theatre company, where she studied and taught acting and comedy.
Goldberg’s career gained traction in the eighties, and she subsequently began appearing in a slew of movies like The Color Purple, Fatal Beauty, The Long Walk Home, Sister Act, Ghosts of Mississippi, and Kingdom Come, to name a few.
Furthermore, Goldberg won an Academy Award for her portrayal of psychic Oda Mae Brown in the 1990 romantic fantasy movie Ghost. Besides an Oscar, Goldberg holds a Grammy Award for her recording of Whoopi Goldberg: Direct from Broadway, a Tony Award for her production of Thoroughly Modern Millie on Broadway, and a Daytime Emmy Award for her work on The View.
Whoopi Goldberg Ex-Husbands
Whoopi Goldberg has married and divorced thrice in her life. From her first marriage, she has her only child, a daughter. Furthermore, her daughter bore her three grandchildren and a great-grandchild.
Lyle Trachtenberg
Whoopi’s third and final husband was Lyle Trachtenberg, a former actor, and union organizer. They were married for exactly one year, from October 1994 to October 1995. They had been together for over nine months prior to tying the knot.
Born on New Year’s Day 1956, the now-65-year-old Trachtenberg was an influential union leader who fought for unionization in the film industry. His only acting credit was as “Husky Guy” in John Quinn’s 1998 comedy film Beach Movie. Besides that, he appeared as himself in the 1996 action-horror film From Dusk Till Dawn starring George Clooney and Harvey Keitel.
David Claessen
Before Lyle Trachtenberg, Whoopi Goldberg was married to the Dutch cinematographer David Claessen. Their marriage lasted a little longer than her third, at just over two years, having tied the knot on September 1, 1986, and divorced in October 1988.
David, 62, is a graduate of Nederlandse Televisie & Film Academie in Amsterdam. He made a name for himself all over Europe as a gifted documentary filmmaker before arriving in the USA and working on commercials. His catalog includes Mercedes, Heineken, Nike, and Cadillac. Furthermore, he has also provided cinematography for music videos by artists like Britney Spears, Snoop Dogg, the Backstreet Boys, and Jay Z.
Alvin Martin
Whoopi Goldberg’s first husband was Alvin Martin. Of her three husbands, Alvin Martin is perhaps the least well-known. Despite that (or because of it), they were married for the longest time. Goldberg tied the knot with Alvin in 1973 and was with him for six years. Their divorce was finalized in 1979.
Goldberg had her only child, daughter Alexandrea “Alex” Martin, with Alvin. She was born on May 9, 1973, and is 48 years old at this writing. She has three adult children: daughter Amarah Skye Martin (born in 1989), Jerzey Martin (born in 1995), and son Mason Martin (born in 1998). Furthermore, her eldest child has a daughter herself, named Charli Rose Burr-Reynaud (born on March 15, 2014).
Whoopi Goldberg has also been open about having performed abortion at the age of 14. Furthermore, she also stated that she had several abortions since then.
She Talks About Her Marriage
In July 2019, Whoopi Goldberg spoke candidly about her marriages and marriage in general. She spoke in detail to the New York Times, the bottom line of which was that marriage just wasn’t for Whoopi.
Among the other things discussed, Goldberg’s three failed marriages highlighted her attitude towards marriage. Goldberg said;
I tried marriage, and it wasn’t for me.
Goldberg also condemned the societal pressure on a woman, especially over the age of 30, to settle down and have a family. In conforming to social standards, Goldberg also gave marriage a chance (or three).
However, after her third marriage ended, Goldberg was forced to examine her choices and concluded that she didn’t want to open her heart to it anymore.
She concluded by saying,
you can’t be in marriage because everybody’s expecting you to.
Goldberg’s comments on NYT echoed similar sentiments she expressed to the Times magazine in 2016. In that particular interview, Goldberg said that she was happier than she ever was – happier even than when she was married. Despite that, Goldberg said that she had romantic relationships in the past, but they never translated to marriage.
Relationship with Ted Danson
Among her several famous flings, Whoopi Goldberg’s romance with The Good Place actor Ted Danson was perhaps the most surprising. They reportedly dated for a year in the mid-nineties when they co-starred in the 1993 comedy movie, Made in America.
What made their relationship controversial was that Ted was married to Cassandra Coates at the time. When Coates caught wind of their affair, she promptly served Ted divorce papers.
They became an official couple following Ted’s divorce. However, their relationship was short-lived, not making it past the 18-month mark.
Is Whoopi Goldberg Gay?
Owing to her reluctance to get married, people automatically assume that Whoopi Goldberg is gay. However, Goldberg has stated that she was straight.
You’ve never seen me with a woman,
said Goldberg while talking to Pride Magazine,
Nah, I’m straight…
However, she is a staunch supporter of the LBGTQ+ community, stating that the gay community was one of her only faithful supporters. She remains an LGBT+ rights advocate.