Celebrities

“I’ve never been normal. I want to be the monster you fear before you go to bed because maybe it’s down there”

The Oscar-winner spoke about freedom, aging, Ozempic, and why she’s never wanted to be ‘normal’.

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Sports-lover turned journalist, born and bred in Scotland, with a passion for football (soccer). He’s also a keen follower of NFL, NBA, golf and tennis, among others, and always has an eye on the latest in science, tech and current affairs. As Managing Editor at AS USA, uses background in operations and marketing to drive improvements for reader satisfaction.

Update: Apr 26th, 2025 12:41 EDT

Whoopi Goldberg has never been one to chase ‘normal.’ Sitting down at Women in Food, an event by Italy’s Corriere della Sera celebrating women in gastronomy, she shared this about herself: “I’ve never been normal. I want to be the monster you fear before you go to bed because maybe it’s down there.” It’s a sentiment that perfectly sums up Goldberg’s lifelong refusal to fit into anyone else’s box.

The 68-year-old, who is now also the producer of Whoopi Prosecco (because her friends like to drink, even if she doesn’t), spoke candidly about her identity, career, body image, and the freedom she’s always claimed as her own.

@cook.corriere
At the conclusion of yesterday’s The Room, an interview by Angela Frenda with Academy Award-winning actress Whoopi Goldberg, who, in her autobiography Bits and Pieces: My Mother, My Brother, and Me (Longanesi), recounts her life from humble beginnings to Hollywood: «I felt strange and different for a long time, but I realized that we shouldn’t give anyone the power to judge us. The problem today? We’re all on our phones too much, and in the end, we’re alone» ———————————— In chiusura del The Room di ieri, l’intervista all’attrice premio Oscar Whoopi Goldberg, che nell’autobiografia Frammenti di memoria. Mia madre, mio fratello e io(Longanesi) racconta la sua vita, dalle origini umili a Hollywood: «Mi sono sentita a lungo strana e diversa, ma ho capito che non si deve dare a nessuno il potere di giudicarci. Il problema di oggi? Stiamo tutti troppo al cellulare e alla fine siamo soli» 🖊 Alessandra Dal Monte #CookCorriere #corrieredellasera #wif2025 #womeninfood #whoopigoldberg
♬ suono originale - Cook.Corriere

Whoopi Goldberg on freedom

Freedom is a concept Goldberg circles back to often. In The Color Purple, the film that helped make her a household name, her character Celie ends with the powerful words: “I’m poor, I’m Black, I may even be ugly – but dear God, I’m here. I’m here.”

When asked if she feels free in her own life, Goldberg didn’t hesitate. “I’ve always been free,” she said. “No one ever told me I wasn’t. My mother always said, ‘You’re free to do whatever you want. But not everyone will like it.’”

This early permission to be herself wasn’t a gift Goldberg took lightly. Her mother, who she honors daily with a photo in a locket she wears, instilled a sense of possibility that’s guided her for decades.

Whoopi Goldberg on ‘Me Too’

When Goldberg talks about women’s rights today, she doesn’t sugarcoat the pushback women face.

“Women are freer than they’ve ever been,” she said, “but all the steps we’ve taken mean we’re now dealing with angry men who want us to stop. Men don’t like the word ‘no.’ We need to show them there’s nothing to fear – but they’re very fragile.”

On Me Too, Goldberg’s take is just as direct.

“A lot of women suffered abuse for a long time. Then someone finally said, ‘Enough.’ And when women say enough, they group together.”

Whoopi Goldberg on body image

Hollywood has spent decades pushing rigid beauty ideals, especially on women of color. Goldberg, however, says she always knew who she was.

“I knew I’d be Black,” she deadpanned. “I never wanted fillers or anything like that. That’s why I still look like myself.”

When she gained weight after a fall, doctors offered Ozempic, the weight-loss drug that’s dominated headlines. She took it, but not to meet anyone else’s standards. “I did it for me, not to please others,” she explained.

Goldberg points out how male-centered medicine contributes to body image struggles.

“Medical trials are always done on men. Or male mice. Our medicine is made by men who don’t know much about our bodies.”

Whoopi Goldberg on racism

Goldberg’s love for monsters runs deep, as per the headline.

“I want to be the monster you fear before bed because maybe I’m under there,” she repeated with a grin. But that love doesn’t mean she ignores real-world monsters. Racism, she admits, is something she’s experienced countless times – though often in subtle forms. “In those moments, I have to decide: is it worth the fight?”

Her own fight has always been grounded in the family she’s built. From her assistant Tom and his husband, to her daughter, grandchildren, and now her great-granddaughter (who she teaches swear words, just for fun), Goldberg’s circle is wide and close.

“I think I’m better as a great-grandmother because no one expects me to get too involved,” she joked. Remember when she arrived at the Oscars like this?

Whoopi Goldberg on Italy and death

Goldberg, who now lives near Ortigia in Sicily, says Italy makes her feel unafraid and in the middle of life. She followed her assistant Tom there two Christmases ago and stayed. Though she doesn’t drink, she produces Prosecco for her friends and connects with food through events like Women in Food despite hating eggs (the smell makes her feel like she’s cooking herself).

Aging doesn’t faze her much, though death lingers.

“Maybe I’ve got 25, 30 years left,” she said. “But every birthday, I celebrate for those who didn’t make it this far.”

That same bluntness applies whether she’s quoting Baudelaire or delighting in her favorite Italian word, culo. Living life on her own terms – even as the monster under your bed – is non-negotiable.