Whoopi Goldberg DEFENDS Harrison Butker's controversial commencement speech in shock comments on The View - as she PRAISES Kansas City Chiefs star for voicing 'his beliefs'

The View host Whoopi Goldberg has defended Harrison Butker's controversial commencement speech at Benedictine College, arguing that those are 'his beliefs and he's welcome to them.'

Butker delivered a 20-minute speech last Saturday at the Catholic private liberal arts college in Kansas, where he claimed that his wife Isabelle's 'life truly started when she began living her vocation as a wife and as a mother,' and also voiced his conservative views on Pride month, abortion and President Biden's leadership during the Covid-19 pandemic.

As of Thursday morning, a Change.org petition entitled 'Demand the Kansas City Chiefs to Dismiss Harrison Butker for Discriminatory Remarks,' had over 105,800 signatures, but Whoopi, 68, claimed the kicker should not lose his job simply because 'he is a staunch Catholic.'

Opening Thursday's edition of the ABC daytime show, the Sister Act star said: 'The NFL released a statement that he gave this speech in his personal capacity and they do not... the NFL does not share his views. So, you know, listen, I like when people say what they say. He is a staunch Catholic. These are his beliefs and he's welcome to them.

'I don't have to believe them. I don't have to accept them. The ladies in the audience do not have to accept them. The same way we want respect when Colin Kaepernick takes a knee, we want to give respect to people whose ideas are different from ours, because the man who says he wants to be president, you-know-who,' she continued, referring to former President Donald Trump. 

'He says the way to act is take away people's right to say how they feel. We don't want to be that, we don't want to be those people.

'So I'm okay with him saying whatever he says and the women who were sitting there, if they take his advice, good for them, they'll be happy. If they don't, good for them, they'll be happy a different That's my attitude,' Whoopi added.

Viewers tuning in at home were not impressed with her comments at all and took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to share their thoughts.

'Why is Whoopi so submissive to this dudes rhetoric,' one person posted, while another said: 'Comparing this clown to what Colin Kaepernick did is an insult to Colin. Whoopi is wrong.'

A third person claimed: 'Whoopi is stuck on the man getting fired. I don’t hear anyone else on the panel saying he should be fired but rather disagreeing with what he said.'

Her cohost Sara Haines was quick to speak up and told Whoopi: 'I agree with you and I disagree with you,' as Whoopi fired back bluntly: 'That's okay.'

The mother-of-three said: 'I don't want people shut down or fired for things they're willing to say. I will break with you on the comparison to Colin Kaepernick for this reason: Colin Kaepernick was standing up for the rights of many and saying in a social justice moment, "This is a reminder that we're not there yet."

'What this man is doing is not just a devout Catholic, this is someone who is practicing something called the Traditional Latin Mass which is a divergent of the majority of Catholics.'

Sara continued: 'It's compared to being cult-like and extremist, like some religions in the Middle East and Asia.

'So this is a very extreme religion and what bothers me about that - as a Christian - is that when people abuse Christianity, they often not only cherry-pick from the Bible, they misinterpret and lie by omission, by taking out parts that would have explained something a little better.

'So what I can say to him, as a Christian, is if you're using this to oppress people or hold them down, you're not walking with Jesus. If you are using the religion, if you're more obsessed with the religious rituals and practices than you are with the word of Jesus, you're not walking with Jesus.

'And if you're using it for the judgment of others and as a weapon to beat people down, you're also not walking with Jesus. So I would really encourage him to find the best parts of faith and not diverge into extremist beliefs,' she added as the live studio audience applauded her.

However, Whoopi refused to back down and fired back: 'But if this is his belief system, there are many Catholics who are staunch this way,' as Sara argued: 'A small, small percentage.'

'Listen, there are many people who believe this way and I'm simply saying, rather than write a petition to get him fired...' Whoopi continued, but Sara butted in and appeared to agree as she said: 'Don't get him fired!'

Sunny Hostin was also keen to have her say and announced: 'I'm a devout Catholic, I've said it over and over again and I have certain beliefs that other people don't have and I know that in this country I should be able to say those things.

'I've said them on the show and I've taken a lot of heat for it. I thought what was most problematic, certainly, was what he said about the LGBTQ community and he said that it was just sinful behavior, when the Pope - the leader of the Catholic church - basically has done more for the LGBTQ community in any catholic history, so that was problematic.

'And when he took the swipe at Biden, I was thinking, Biden is our second Catholic President and he understands that there is a difference between church and state and so his views should not have anything to do with government.

'And so I was really saddened by what he said, but the most hateful speech is the most protected speech and that's in our constitution, and so I am okay... he had the right to say it,' the 55-year-old added.

Whoopi agreed and said: 'Yes because if you're coming for me, I have the right to say what I say, he has the right to say what he has the right to say