The culture wars have found their way to the dessert table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What was supposed to be a simple birthday treat devolved into the latest flashpoint after \u201cThe View\u201d co-host Whoopi Goldberg implied that a New York bakery refused to take her order because of her liberal politics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s 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 <\/strong>show their <\/strong>support for the small business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The controversy started when Goldberg recounted in Wednesday\u2019s episode<\/a> of the \u201cThe View\u201d that she had tried to order a batch of charlotte russe \u2014 showing off platters of sponge cakes topped with whipped cream and a cherry \u2014 from a family-owned New York City bakery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNow, I should tell you, charlotte russe has no political leanings, and the place that made these refused to make them for me,\u201d she said, generating gasps from the audience, before going on to suggest that \u201cperhaps they did not like my politics.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Goldberg had been open about her support of then-Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris<\/a> on \u201cThe View\u201d when she was invited onto the talk show last month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThey said that their ovens had gone down, all kinds of stuff, but folks went and got them anyway, which is why I\u2019m not telling you who made them,\u201d Goldberg said. But the distinctive polka-dotted packaging on the cakes left local viewers little doubt about which business she was talking about: Holtermann\u2019s Bakery in Staten Island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The bakery\u2019s owner, Jill Holtermann, quickly denied that she turned Goldberg away for political reasons, reportedly citing boiler issues<\/a> as the reason she couldn\u2019t commit to the actor\u2019s initial attempts to order the cakes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But Goldberg doubled down on her claim Thursday, saying in an Instagram video<\/a> that it still seemed \u201ca little odd\u201d that the bakery couldn\u2019t process Goldberg\u2019s birthday order, yet \u201csomehow, they were able to accept an order of a different 48 of the same dessert when somebody else called without using my name.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n In a news conference<\/a> Friday, Staten Island\u2019s borough president, Republican Vito Fossella, stood alongside fellow local officials in front of Holtermann\u2019s Bakery as he announced, \u201cWe\u2019re 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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnd the way we can make this better, and the woman I\u2019m talking to, I won\u2019t mention her name, just say you\u2019re sorry so we can put this behind us,\u201d he added, calling on Goldberg to apologize for her speculative remarks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Goldberg and Holtermann\u2019s Bakery did not immediately respond to NBC News\u2019 requests for comment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But Holtermann, who joined Fossella at Friday\u2019s news conference, said that the bakery has received \u201coverwhelming\u201d support in the wake of the incident. On Saturday, the bakery also shared in a social media statement<\/a> that its phones have been \u201cringing off the hook.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFrom the bottom of our hearts, thank you for all the incredible support we\u2019ve received from near and far!\u201d it wrote<\/a> in another post. \u201cFor the second day in a row, we\u2019ve emptied out the shop, and it\u2019s all thanks to YOU! Your love and loyalty keep us going!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The controversy coincided with actress Rachel Zegler facing criticism for her inflammatory anti-Donald Trump comments<\/a> online, another moment in recent weeks that underscores how culture and politics have become increasingly charged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Zegler, who is starring as Snow White in Disney\u2019s upcoming live adaptation of its classic film, had written in an Instagram story that she hoped \u201cTrump supporters and Trump voters and Trump himself may never know peace\u201d \u2014 a remark that prompted conservative media personality Megyn Kelly to call for Disney to fire Zegler<\/a> \u201cbecause this woman is a pig.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Zegler, who did not immediately respond to requests for comment, apologized for her comments on Thursday, writing in an updated Instagram story, \u201cI let my emotions get the best of me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHatred 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,\u201d Zegler wrote. \u201cI firmly believe that everyone has the right to their own opinion, even when it differs from my own.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n