‘I felt awful’: TV hosts issue on-air Kate Middleton apology

Hosts of a top US TV show opened their latest episode with an on-air apology, following Kate Middleton’s recent health revelations.

Panellists of US talk show The View opened their most recent episode with an on-air apology, following Kate Middleton publicly revealing she is being treated for cancer.

Sunny Hostin, Sara Haines, Alyssa Farah Griffin and Ana Navarro opened the episode by apologising to host Whoopi Goldberg, who previously tried (and failed) to shut down their speculation about Kate Middleton‘s whereabouts.

Before the Princess of Wales announced her cancer diagnosis over the weekend, the co-hosts joined the rest of the world in feeding into conspiracy theories about her absence from the public eye. The only person who attempted to stop them was Goldberg, who vehemently defended Middleton during the Hot Topics segments.

But now that they know the real reason behind the royal’s disappearance — that she has been in the early stages of chemotherapy and waiting for the proper time to tell her three young children — the ladies have apologised to Goldberg.

Whoopi Goldberg on The View.

“I felt awful. Whoopi was right. I’m guilty of having gotten into the fun of where’s Kate and thinking it’s funny and sharing the memes and playing into that,” Griffin said, before Navarro added, “For me, it was a learning moment, a teachable moment. The lesson I learned was: when Whoopi Goldberg tells me to mind my own damn business, I will mind my own damn business from now on.”

Hostin also jumped in to share her apology, but not before blaming Haines and Griffin for dragging her down the rabbit hole.

“I went down this rabbit hole thank you to my co-hosts and to myself,” she said. “I also have to take blame for that because I also didn’t listen to Whoopi Goldberg, who told me to stop. And I didn’t. And so here I am.”

Navarro then turned to Goldberg and added, “You’re the voice of wisdom on this. You’re an internationally recognised star and you know what it’s like to be discussed and speculated about.”

Kate addresses the public.

Her announcement came after months of speculation.

When Hostin doubled down that they “should’ve listened” to her, Goldberg replied, “Well, maybe you will next time. I don’t put any money on it.”

The EGOT recipient went on to explain exactly why she tried to stifle the conversation in the first place.

“I don’t want people to misunderstand y’all,” she said. “I don’t want them thinking that you’re making fun of somebody because they’re ill. Because that’s what folks will say. But that was never the intention so I always hope, if I hear something, that I can help make us better.”

This story originally appeared on Decider and is republished here with permission.