Whoopi Goldberg just shared an unexpected and touching story on Late Night with Seth Meyers, and it’s both heartwarming and a little wild. The View host, 68, confessed that she scattered her mom’s ashes at Disneyland, specifically on their favorite ride, “It’s A Small World.” But she’s got a warning for fans: don’t try this at home… or Disneyland.
Goldberg’s mom, Emma Harris, passed away in 2010 due to complications from a stroke
Goldberg has described their bond as incredibly tight, so losing her mom was a massive blow for Whoopi. She often shares how much she relied on her “remarkable” mom and how the loss changed her life.
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Earlier this year, Goldberg released a memoir dedicated to her mom called Bits and Pieces: My Mother, My Brother, and Me
The book is packed with touching stories about Goldberg, her brother, and their mom — Goldberg’s way of keeping their memories alive and offering comfort to anyone dealing with loss.
In her chat with Seth Meyers, Goldberg reminisced about a special trip to Disneyland with her mom
This trip was a highlight for them, and after Harris passed away, Goldberg decided to go back to Disneyland to relive those happy moments and scatter her mother’s ashes.
“No one should do this,” she prefaced. “Don’t do it.”
“My mother loved Disneyland and so we took her to Disneyland,” Goldberg recalled
“She loved Small World. So in the Small World ride, periodically, I would scoop some of her up…,” she added. Whoopi had a sneaky method for scattering the ashes without drawing attention. She pretended to sneeze while discreetly spreading the ashes during the ride. She even joked about how she kept saying, “My God, this cold is getting worse and worse,” to keep things under wraps.
The story didn’t end there. After the ride, Whoopi felt a bit guilty and decided to come clean to the Disneyland staff
“I told them I did it,” she said. “I wanted to make sure actually that I hadn’t done something dangerous. ‘Cause it hadn’t occurred to me — there’s a reason they don’t want ashes just floating around.”
Goldberg also noted that her mother wouldn’t have wanted her ashes to be smoked
“I don’t think she would have cared for me to have smoked her. My brother maybe. But not [me],” she joked. Goldberg’s unconventional way of honoring her mom has been met with many comments from fans online.
“She is a treasure, in my honest opinion,” a fan commented on a video of Goldberg’s appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers
“I totally get the sentiment,” another person chimed in, while someone else added, “I forget where I heard this, but I think that’s a common thing to dump someone’s ashes at Disneyland!”
Another fan shared that they happened to know of another person who scattered their loved one’s remains on the same Disneyland ride
“OMG, I know someone whose late husband’s ashes are in ‘Small World’ in [Disneyland]. Definitely stay in the little boat when doing that ride!” they penned.
Another commenter dubbed Goldberg “An icon and a legend”
It was most definitely a power move.
What do you think about Whoopi Goldberg scattering her late mother’s remains at Disneyland? Watch the full interview below and let us know in the comments!
