Whoopi Goldberg pretends to nap during The View in protest over Wicked meme debate

Whoopi Goldberg was hoping for one short day when it came to “Wicked” talk.On Tuesday’s episode of “The View,” the 69-year-old pretended to sleep as the group discussed a “Wicked” meme involving stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo.Goldberg placed her chin firmly into her palm after introducing the viral interview moment during the Hot Topics segment.Tracy Gilchrist for Out magazine told Erivo and Grande that fans of the project “are holding space” with the lyrics of “Defying Gravity,” which sparked an emotional reaction from Erivo, 37, during their press tour.“I didn’t know that was happening.That’s really powerful,” the actress said, as Grande, 31, reached over and clutched her co-star’s index finger.“Apparently, this has struck a cord with people.

Why? I don’t know,” Goldberg said during the ABC program.Cohosts Sunny Hostin and Alyssa Farah Griffin then channeled their inner Erivo and Grande, recreating the finger embrace while the audience laughed.“What does holding space mean?” Joy Behar eventually questioned, to which Hostin, 56, explained it’s the “practice of making space for somebody else’s experience and centering them” that “fosters listening and empathizing,” per Psychology Today.“Am I supposed to hold space for Trump supporters now?” Behar, 82, teased.

Meanwhile, Griffin, 35, noted how “perfectly unhinged the whole press tour is” for “Wicked.” Behar then pointed to Goldberg nodding off at the head of the table, and stated, “Whoopi took a nap throughout this entire segment.”Added Hostin: “She’s holding space for her self-care!”Goldberg then woke up from her deep sleep, looked around, smiled and sent the show to a commercial break.Gilchrist has since been mocked by the internet for creating the completely nonsensical phrase, but told Variety on Monday that the interview was conducted a day and a half after the Nov.5 presidential election, and that she went int...