Whoopi Goldberg Opens Up About Prior Marriages: Lack of Joy but Memorable Intimacy

Whoopi Goldberg has reflected on her past marriages, stating her sex life was fine, but marriage wasn’t fun for her.

The talk show host admitted she lacks the emotional investment required for relationships but maintains amicable ties with her exes.

Goldberg, 69, gave some insight into her past marriages, revealing that while her sex life was never an issue, she “just wasn’t having any fun.”

The actress also mentioned an op-ed she had read, in which a woman credited her divorce for bringing “new experiences and great sex.”

When Joy Behar inquired about her ability to empathize with the woman, Goldberg responded honestly, stating, “It was not about the divorce; I was just happy to leave.”

The renowned actress from “Sister Act” elaborated, “I was always having satisfying intimate relations, but I wasn’t enjoying myself. This is why I cannot comprehend what [the writer of the op-ed] is trying to convey.”

Sunny Hostin then suggested that many women experience a “glow up” post-divorce, but Goldberg pushed back.

“Well, they don’t do better if they’ve been cheated on,” she argued. “You gotta take — these are not end all be alls.”

Goldberg, who has been married thrice, experienced short-lived marriages. Her initial marriage to Alvin Martin ended in 1979; nonetheless, they have a daughter together, Alexandrea, who is now 51 years old.

She later wed cinematographer David Claessen in 1986, but the relationship ended in divorce two years later. In 1994, she married Lyle Trachtenberg, but the union lasted just a year.

The EGOT winner has openly acknowledged that marriage simply isn’t for her. During a May 2024 interview on “Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace,” she was blunt when asked if she struggles with sharing her life in a marriage.

“No, I don’t,” she responded. “I don’t care how you feel. It’s terrible!” she added with a laugh, per People Magazine.

She explained that “when you’re married to somebody, you have to be invested in how they’re feeling,” admitting she wasn’t interested in the emotional investment.

“I’m invested in my kid. I’m invested in her kids,” she said. “I’m invested in my son-in-law. I’m invested in my friends. But I’m not invested in a relationship that would require as much as having a child requires, and I know that that’s not for me.”

Despite her stance on marriage, Goldberg has maintained amicable relationships with her former spouses.

In October 2024, she shared that she still keeps “in touch” with all of her exes and holds no resentment toward them.

“I’m in touch with every one of them because once they were my friends,” she explained. “It doesn’t mean that we talk all the time, but I will be respectful enough for you.”

She emphasized that while she no longer shares the obligations of a romantic relationship with them, there’s no bad blood.

“I don’t have to sleep with you, I don’t have to eat with you — I don’t have to do any of those things that a relationship forces,” Goldberg said. “But I can be friendly because there’s no one I’ve been with that I truly despise.”

Earlier this month, Goldberg confirmed that she has read a completed script for “Sister Act 3.”

Speaking to Variety’s Marc Malkin on the Oscars red carpet, she shared hopes that the project would move forward this year.

However, when asked for her thoughts on the script, she simply said, “It doesn’t matter what I think. It only matters if Disney wants to do it.”

Goldberg first starred in “Sister Act” in 1992, a box office hit that earned $231 million on a $31 million budget.

She reprised her role in “Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit,” playing a lounge singer-turned-nun in witness protection.

For years, fans have speculated about a third film. In 2020, Variety reported that Goldberg was officially set to return, with Tyler Perry producing.

Last year, Goldberg revealed on an episode of “The View” that she used the weight-loss drug Mounjaro to achieve her recent transformation.

The “Sister Act” star shared that she turned to the medication after her weight climbed to nearly 300 pounds while filming “Till” in 2021.

“I will tell you, you know, I weighed almost 300 pounds when I made Till,” Goldberg admitted, per Daily Mail.

She explained that before using Mounjaro, she had tried other methods to lose weight, but none were effective.

“I had taken all those steroids; I was on all this stuff, and one of the things that has helped me drop the weight is the Mounjaro… That’s what I use,” she disclosed.

During the same episode, Sunny Hostin also admitted that she had used the same weight-loss drug, Mounjaro, as Goldberg to shed the extra pounds she gained during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“All I did was eat… I love to cook, and I found out I love to eat, and I was horrified by the fact I would have to come out on here, I was,” Hostin said, adding, “I also took Mounjaro.”