Business is booming at a historic New York City bakery after Whoopi Goldberg claimed it refused to fill her order due to her political views, which the owner has vehemently denied.
On ABC’s the View last week, Goldberg accused an unnamed bakery of declining to deliver an order of “Charlotte Russe” desserts for her birthday, but received them anyway after sending someone else to pick them up:
“My birthday dessert today was one of my mom’s favorites from when she was a kid, she talked about these all the time, they’re called Charlotte Russe. It’s a sponge cake with whipped cream and a cherry on top. I should tell you, Charlotte Russe has no political leanings. The place that made these refused to make them for me,” the co-host said during last Wednesday’s episode.
Cast member Sarah Hines then spit out her mouthful of the cake, but Goldberg said “no” and went on to explain further.
“They said that their ovens had gone down, but folks went and got them anyway, which is why I’m not telling you who made them,” she said.
“It’s not… because I’m a woman, but perhaps they did not like my politics,” Goldberg claimed. “But, that’s okay, because you know what, listen, this is my mother’s celebration. Pick these up and celebrate with me and my mom. Thank you everyone for celebrating my birthday today.”
Even though she did not call the business out by name, viewers of the show quickly figured out the desserts came from Holtermann’s — Staten Island’s oldest family-owned bakery.
In a statement to Entertainment Weekly, Jill Holtermann confirmed that Goldberg placed an order about two weeks ago, but denied that it was refused over her politics.
“They’d asked us and we were having trouble with our boilers,” the bakery owner said, explaining that she “didn’t want to make a commitment that I can’t carry through.”
However, she was able to make 50 of the Charlotte Russe desserts that were featured on the View, and added that none of her employees were aware of the political views of those who picked up the order.
“We didn’t know what was going on until somebody called us from Ohio” on Thursday, the bakery owner explained, “and he said, ‘Y’know, there’s this thing with Whoopi Goldberg and the Charlotte Russe cups,” she said, “and I didn’t know what he was talking about.”
Since the drama, Holtermann’s has been completely inundated with orders.
“From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for all the incredible support we’ve received from near and far,” the shop, established in 1878, wrote in an Instagram post displaying their completely sold-out shelves:
“For the second day in a row, we’ve emptied out the shop, and it’s all thanks to YOU! Your love and loyalty keep us going!”
Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella (R) held a press conference outside the business with the owner:
“Recently someone took to the national airwaves and defamed, frankly, this family business,” Fossella told the crowd that had gathered outside the bakery on Friday. “We’re here to stand up for one of the best families and businesses, not just in Staten Island but in the country.”
“Frankly, the people who defamed the Holtermann family should apologize … for making stuff up to suit their needs. Not everybody wakes up every day and thinks about politics.”
Jill Holtermann then took to the podium, saying she was completely “overwhelmed by the support.”
“I know how hard my family has worked to keep this business alive, and I wish my father was here today to see this — he would never believe it,” she said with emotion.
New York State Assembly Member Mike Tannousis (R) also spoke at the press conference, saying “this is the reason why [Democrats] lost”:
“That’s the reason why you lost. Exactly the type of attitude, the elitist mentality, that the American people resoundingly rejected on Tuesday,” he told the crowd. “So I say to the people on the View, keep doing what you’re doing. You’re doing great by us, you’re doing great by Staten Island, and you’re doing great by the Holtermann family.”
Former Republican New York City council candidate Ying Tan was among those waiting in the long line on Saturday, posting that she “never” felt any “negativity or discrimination like Whoopi said”:
“Second, the food tastes amazing! The crumb cake and donuts are especially fantastic. I went there today, and there was a long line outside,” she wrote on X, with photos of the line spilling out into the parking lot.
Goldberg responded to the backlash she received in an Instagram video Friday, doubling down that it seemed “a little odd” that Holtermann’s originally said they could not fill the order before “somehow” was able to do it when “somebody else called without using my name:
According to attorney and legal scholar Jonathan Turley, a defamation suit against Goldberg could be a “piece of cake.”
“Some have said that the fact that Goldberg did not name Holtermann’s Bakery means she cannot be sued. That is wrong,” he wrote for Fox News on Sunday, pointing out that “the identity of the bakery was quickly deduced and published widely.”