The culture wars have found their way to the dessert table.
What was supposed to be a simple birthday treat devolved into the latest flashpoint after “The View” co-host Whoopi Goldberg implied that a New York bakery refused to take her order because of her liberal politics.
It’s an accusation that the bakery has denied. Now, the store is claiming that an influx of orders has flooded its phone lines as local residents show their support for the small business.
The controversy started when Goldberg recounted in Wednesday’s episode of the “The View” that she had tried to order a batch of charlotte russe — showing off platters of sponge cakes topped with whipped cream and a cherry — from a family-owned New York City bakery.
“Now, I should tell you, charlotte russe has no political leanings, and the place that made these refused to make them for me,” she said, generating gasps from the audience, before going on to suggest that “perhaps they did not like my politics.”
Goldberg had been open about her support of then-Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris on “The View” when she was invited onto the talk show last month.
“They said that their ovens had gone down, all kinds of stuff, but folks went and got them anyway, which is why I’m not telling you who made them,” Goldberg said. But the distinctive polka-dotted packaging on the cakes left local viewers little doubt about which business she was talking about: Holtermann’s Bakery in Staten Island.
The bakery’s owner, Jill Holtermann, quickly denied that she turned Goldberg away for political reasons, reportedly citing boiler issues as the reason she couldn’t commit to the actor’s initial attempts to order the cakes.
But Goldberg doubled down on her claim Thursday, saying in an Instagram video that it still seemed “a little odd” that the bakery couldn’t process Goldberg’s birthday order, yet “somehow, they were able to accept an order of a different 48 of the same dessert when somebody else called without using my name.”
In a news conference Friday, Staten Island’s borough president, Republican Vito Fossella, stood alongside fellow local officials in front of Holtermann’s Bakery as he announced, “We’re here today to support them, to say that Staten Island stands with them, and I venture to guess that people across this country knew what the Holtermann family was all about.”
“And the way we can make this better, and the woman I’m talking to, I won’t mention her name, just say you’re sorry so we can put this behind us,” he added, calling on Goldberg to apologize for her speculative remarks.
Goldberg and Holtermann’s Bakery did not immediately respond to NBC News’ requests for comment.
But Holtermann, who joined Fossella at Friday’s news conference, said that the bakery has received “overwhelming” support in the wake of the incident. On Saturday, the bakery also shared in a social media statement that its phones have been “ringing off the hook.”
“From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for all the incredible support we’ve received from near and far!” it wrote in another post. “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!”
The controversy coincided with actress Rachel Zegler facing criticism for her inflammatory anti-Donald Trump comments online, another moment in recent weeks that underscores how culture and politics have become increasingly charged.
Zegler, who is starring as Snow White in Disney’s upcoming live adaptation of its classic film, had written in an Instagram story that she hoped “Trump supporters and Trump voters and Trump himself may never know peace” — a remark that prompted conservative media personality Megyn Kelly to call for Disney to fire Zegler “because this woman is a pig.”
Zegler, who did not immediately respond to requests for comment, apologized for her comments on Thursday, writing in an updated Instagram story, “I let my emotions get the best of me.”
“Hatred and anger have caused us to move further and further away from peace and understanding, and I am sorry I contributed to the negative discourse,” Zegler wrote. “I firmly believe that everyone has the right to their own opinion, even when it differs from my own.”
