Whoopi Goldberg defended the 1974 satire Blazing Saddles on the December 7th episode of The View, pushing back against critics who claim it couldn’t be made in 2022.
The conversation was sparked by Mindy Kaling’s recent appearance on Good Morning America, where she claimed that The Office is “so inappropriate now” and that most of the characters “would be canceled” today. Goldberg rejected the premise by citing Blazing Saddles, which might be more challenging for modern audiences.
“Blazing Saddles, because it’s a great comedy, would still go over today,” she said. “There are a lot of comedies that are not good, okay? We’re just going to say that. That’s not one of them. Blazing Saddles is one of the greatest because it hits everybody.”
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Mel Brooks’ film is set in 1874 and explores a mostly-white frontier town adjusting to a Black sheriff. As Goldberg explained, the genius of the comedy is that “it deals with racism by coming at it right, straight, out front, making you think and laugh about it, because, listen, it’s not just racism, it’s all the isms, he hits all the isms.”
To prospective viewers, Goldberg said, “If you’ve never seen Blazing Saddles, you should do yourself a favor, get some popcorn, get a glass of wine, and put it on, because it’s magnificent.” And to the film’s critics, she scoffed, “Leave my Blazing Saddles alone. Don’t make me come for you!”
Goldberg is not afraid of stepping over the line of good taste. Earlier this year, her granddaughter revealed that the nickname Whoopi came from an odorous approach to comedy that culminated in a fart contest with Robin Williams and Billy Crystal.
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