“She Doesn’t Deserve My Respect” – Whoopi Goldberg’s Ice-Cold Jab at Sha’Carri Richardson Ignites Fury, Then Gets Blasted by Ten Words That Shook the World

The set of The View turned into a frozen battlefield at 11:08 a.m. EST today when Whoopi Goldberg, the 70-year-old Emmy-Grammy-Oscar-Tony legend, leaned into the camera with a glare sharp enough to slice steel. “She doesn’t deserve my respect,” she declared, her voice dripping disdain. The studio – 300 live audience members, co-hosts Joy Behar, Sunny Hostin, Sara Haines, and Alyssa Farah Griffin – went dead silent. No gasps. No applause. Just the hum of the lights. The “she”? Sha’Carri Richardson, the 25-year-old sprint queen, Olympic gold medalist, and cultural supernova beloved by millions for her unapologetic Black excellence, flame-orange hair, and lightning speed.

The segment started innocently enough: a recap of the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, where Richardson stormed to 100m gold in 10.65 seconds – her third global title – and anchored the U.S. 4x100m relay to victory. But Whoopi, ever the provocateur, pivoted hard. “Sha’Carri’s fast, sure,” she said, arms crossed. “But respect? Nah. She shows up late to pressers, dyes her hair like a clown, talks more about ‘vibes’ than victories. We crowned her after one Olympics, but where’s the consistency? The humility? She doesn’t deserve my respect until she acts like a champion off the track.”

The contempt was palpable. Behar tried to interject – “Whoopi, she’s 25, give her grace” – but Goldberg shut it down: “Grace is earned, not gifted.” The audience shifted uncomfortably. Social media, however, didn’t wait. #WhoopiVsShaCarri exploded within seconds, trending No. 1 worldwide with 1.2 million posts in 10 minutes. Clips ricocheted across TikTok, X, and Instagram: slowed-down replays of Whoopi’s sneer synced to dramatic bass drops.

Then, at 11:13 a.m. – just five minutes into the show – Sha’Carri struck back.

From her training base in Clermont, Florida, Richardson fired off a tweet that lit the internet ablaze. Ten words. Precise. Lethal:

Ten words. A period for punctuation – and finality. The post, paired with a fresh photo of her mid-stride in Tokyo, gold medal gleaming, hair a fiery halo, racked up 2.1 million likes in an hour. Replies flooded: “QUEEN SHUT IT DOWN!” from Simone Biles; “Mic drop on steroids” from Noah Lyles; even LeBron James quote-tweeted: “Sha’Carri just ended the debate. 👑”

Back in the studio, chaos. The control room scrambled as producers shoved phones at Whoopi mid-segment. Her face – usually unflappable – flickered with surprise. “Well… she’s got spirit,” she muttered, forcing a chuckle. But the damage was done. The audience erupted in mixed boos and cheers. Hostin jumped in: “Sha’Carri’s response is poetry – respect isn’t demanded, it’s commanded.” Griffin, the conservative voice, nodded: “That’s how you clap back without cursing.”

Richardson’s ten words weren’t random; they were a manifesto. “Crown” – her signature symbol of Black royalty, tattooed on her neck since 2021’s Olympic trials suspension over marijuana (a ban she turned into a movement for mental health and fairness). “Run without it” – a nod to her 2024 Paris redemption, where she won 100m silver and relay gold despite the world’s doubts. “Period” – her Gen-Z seal of unnegotiability, the same closer she used after Tokyo: “I am that girl. Period.”

The backlash against Whoopi was swift and surgical. #RespectShaCarri surged to 3.5 million posts. Fans unearthed old clips: Whoopi praising Richardson in 2021 (“She’s a warrior!”) only to flip now. “Age ain’t grace,” tweeted A’ja Wilson. Nike, Richardson’s sponsor, dropped a limited “Crown” sneaker teaser hours later – sold out in 12 minutes. Even The View‘s own Instagram comments turned hostile: “Whoopi owes an apology. Sha’Carri’s the future.”

By noon, Richardson followed up with an IG Live from the track. Orange braids flying, she was mid-200m rep. “I heard the noise,” she panted, smiling. “But noise don’t slow me down. Respect? I don’t chase it – I lap it. See y’all in LA ’28.” She blew a kiss and sprinted off-camera. The live peaked at 1.8 million viewers.

Whoopi’s history with controversy – from Holocaust comments to vaccine debates – made this sting deeper. But targeting Richardson? A bridge too far. The sprinter, who overcame her mother’s death, suspension heartbreak, and online trolls to become 2025’s World Athlete of the Year, embodies resilience. Her Tokyo double (100m/relay) silenced doubters; her off-track empire – Flau’jae Johnson collabs, Vogue covers, mental health advocacy – built empires.

As the show ended, Whoopi offered a half-apology: “I was tough, but it’s love. Sha’Carri, keep running.” Too late. Richardson’s ten words had already won the race. Social media crowned her undisputed. In a world quick to tear down Black women in sports, Sha’Carri didn’t just defend her throne – she expanded it.

Tonight, in Florida, she’s back on the track. Tomorrow, the world watches. Whoopi started the fire. Sha’Carri? She just ran through it – crown intact, respect resounding.