“We do have to talk to you about keeping your hands to yourself in general,” producer Brian Teta told Haines.

The View’s Sara Haines clarifies Whoopi Goldberg slapping incident*, *producer says cohosts acted ‘like 2-year-olds’

"We do have to talk to you about keeping your hands to yourself in general," producer Brian Teta told Haines.

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May 7, 2026 10:19 a.m. ET

Sara Haines and Whoopi Goldberg on 'The View'. Credit:

Behind the Table/ABC

- *The View*'s Sara Haines has addressed an on-air moment that saw her and Whoopi Goldberg slap each other six times.

- Producer Brian Teta told Haines that she and Goldberg acted "like 2-year-olds" in the moment.

- Haines said on the* Behind the Table* podcast that the slaps were "love taps."

*The View** *star Sara Haines has addressed a recent on-air moment that saw her and EGOT-winning icon Whoopi Goldberg slap each other six times during a live interview with Justin Theroux and Kate Hudson.

During an April 23 conversation with the *Running Point *actors, Haines reached over and hit Goldberg on the arm to acknowledge a point Theroux had made in the moment. Goldberg then hit Haines back, with the pair exchanging slaps for the next few seconds — enough so that Theroux called it out from the other end of the Hot Topics table.

Now, Haines said on the show's companion *Behind the Table* podcast that "the only reason, one, it got any headlines is Whoopi Goldberg is involved. Two, usually I'm the only one slapping Whoopi. Whoopi doesn't hit back, normally." Producer Brian Teta quickly pushed back on Haines.**

0:07 Whoopi Goldberg, Sara Haines slap each other 6 times on 'The View'

"We do have to talk to you about keeping your hands to yourself in general," Teta said. Haines replied, "I know, I'm a feeler. Usually, those moments, and they happen a lot off camera."

Haines said she feels a magnetism toward Goldberg due to the actress' status as a pop culture icon, marveling at the fact that she "gets to sit less than a foot from an EGOT, an icon, a legend" every day on the show.

Summarizing the slap incident, Haines said that Theroux "said something, and it was something Whoopi had said" in the past, so she "hit Whoopi like, 'See!' And she jokingly hit back."

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She said she's witnessed similar moments unfold as "a bit with her and Joy [Behar]. So I just hit her back again, then she did, and I thought, who's going to be the bigger person here? No, it was literally like love taps!"

Teta then lightly scolded Haines, telling her, "So, in the middle of Justin Theroux and Kate Hudson's interview, the two of you are acting like 2-years-olds, slapping each other?"

Haines attempted to further explain, adding that the show reflects "who we are" because they're not scripted during their free-flowing conversations at the table.**

"Commercial blends into show, blends into commercial, blends into weekend," she observed. "We don't stop, and sometimes that drives Whoopi crazy, too, because we'll be yapping on the side while she's trying to do her intros."

The April 23 moment divided *View* fans, with some brushing it off as playful banter between the cohosts, while others noted that a close-up reaction shot of Goldberg appeared to reflect the actress' genuine annoyance over the slapping.

*The View* airs weekdays on ABC. Watch Haines discuss the slapping incident with Goldberg on *Behind the Table *above.

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