Actress and talk show host Whoopi Goldberg raised eyebrows Monday after making an unusual suggestion during The View, claiming that Super Bowl attendees could “get a little cocoa butter” and “use a Latin accent” to confuse immigration authorities.
The remarks came after co-host Joy Behar discussed comments from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who has vowed to ensure Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents are present at the upcoming Super Bowl, where Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny is slated to headline the halftime show.
“Kristi Noem, the one who shot the puppy, she’s threatening to go to the Super Bowl when Bad Bunny is there and round up all these people that are illegal immigrants,” Behar said. “Do you think she would go if it was Garth Brooks or Taylor Swift or any other white person?”
Goldberg responded by questioning how Noem could possibly determine who was an illegal immigrant at a massive public event. “Because she’s going to go to the Super Bowl and round up — how is she going to know who is who?” Goldberg asked.
Behar replied, “Because the Supreme Court has given permission to question anyone who has a Spanish accent, who has dark skin.”
That’s when Goldberg made her controversial suggestion: “Here’s the thing… everybody, get a little cocoa butter, sit in the sun, that’s the first thing. And then — and this is the only time you can probably ever do this — give yourself a Latin accent, and see if she can tell who is who.”
Her comments drew scattered applause from the audience, while Behar compared the idea to a World War II-era act of solidarity. “During the Nazi occupation, there was one country — I believe Denmark or Norway — where everybody put the Jewish star on so they couldn’t tell who was Jewish or who was not. So what you are saying is very smart,” Behar said.
Goldberg and Behar’s remarks came in response to a viral video featuring Secretary Noem and conservative commentator Benny Johnson. In it, Noem criticized the NFL’s decision to select Bad Bunny as the Super Bowl 2026 halftime performer, saying league officials “won’t be able to sleep at night” after choosing the outspoken artist.
Bad Bunny, whose real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, has previously said he boycotted U.S. performances this year in protest of President Trump’s immigration policies. Noem, who oversees the Department of Homeland Security, confirmed that ICE will be on site during the NFL championship in Santa Clara, California.
“The Department of Homeland Security is responsible for keeping it safe,” Noem explained. “So I have the responsibility for making sure everybody goes to the Super Bowl, has the opportunity to enjoy it and to leave safely — that’s what America is about. We’re going to enforce the law. People should not be coming to the Super Bowl unless they are law-abiding Americans who love this country.”
Noem added confidently, “They suck, and we’ll win, and God will bless us, and we’ll stand and be proud of ourselves at the end of the day. They won’t be able to sleep at night because they don’t know what they believe, and they’re so weak. We’ll fix it.”
However, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt later clarified that there is currently “no tangible plan” for ICE to be deployed at the event.
“As far as ICE being at the Super Bowl, as far as I’m aware, there’s no tangible plan for that right now,” Leavitt told reporters. “However, this administration is always going to arrest and deport illegal immigrants when we find them if they are criminals. We’re going to do the right thing by our country.”