Hollywood is filled with many great stories of redemption, but not all are as inspiring as that of Whoopi Goldberg. While she may seem to have it all now, there was a time before fame when Goldberg had all odds stacked against her.
Her Early Struggle With Addiction
Born Caryn Elaine Johnson in 1955, Whoopi grew up in a chaotic New York City. At age 7, her mother Emma enrolled her in the Hudson Guild Children's Theater where she began her appreciation for acting. However, as she got older, an undiagnosed case of dyslexia prevented her from excelling in school. Eventually, the learning disorder discouraged young Whoopi so much that she dropped out of high school and turned to drug use for an escape.
"The beginning of the 60s was a whole different groove. All of my friends from that time are dead," Goldberg once explained on The Howard Stern Show. "I cleaned subways... [and] all the money went to drugs, heroin, acid, whatever was there."
Getting Clean
As a young and homeless heroin addict, Whoopi was lost. Fortunately, a handful of friends were able to see the potential in her and encouraged her to get clean.
"They said, 'This is not for you. This is not the life for you, and we are not going to help you anymore. You need to stop'," recounted Goldberg.
She claims it took her about 10 days to sober up, which included a 3-4 day stint sitting on a bed in which she'd defecated and urinated. "I was so scared." Those friends, along with a drug counselor named Alvin Martin, would soon be revered as the support system that enabled her dream to become a reality.
In 1973, Whoopi and Alvin married, and welcomed their daughter Alexandrea Martin. 6 years later, they divorced and Whoopi would continue on to California to devote herself to a career in acting and comedy. She once described her years of struggle with substance as a "rite of passage," explaining that sobriety is what convinced her she wanted to be an actor.
But When Did Caryn Become 'Whoopi Goldberg'?
According to the star, the name 'Whoopi' was derived from a whoopee cushion, referring to her unapologetic flatulence while performing stand up comedy. 'Goldberg' was the last name she acquired after her mother suggested she might make it further in Hollywood with a Jewish surname.
Now, there's no way to tell if it was the name or the woman who possessed it, but the world certainly started to notice Whoopi Goldberg. From then on, she honed her acting and comedy skills while branding herself for her wit. Eventually, her one-woman Broadway production, The Spook Show, was recognized by Stephen Spielberg, who would then go on to cast her in her big break role as Celi in The Color Purple in 1985.
E.G.O.T. Winner & Entrepreneur
The Color Purple was just one of the many films that secured Whoopi Goldberg's status in entertainment, earning her an Oscar nomination for Best Actress in a Leading Role. In 1991, Whoopi took home the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for playing Oda Mae Brown in Ghost, making her the 2nd African American woman to win an Oscar for acting. Goldberg also won a Grammy in 1986 for recorded performances of her Broadway sensation, The Spook Show, and a Tony Award for producing Broadway's Thoroughly Modern Millie in 2002. And, with the 2 Emmy awards she holds for her time on The View and Beyond Tara: The Extraordinary Life of Hattie McDaniel, Whoopi is also part of Hollywood's exclusive club of E.G.O.T. holders!
In addition to winning awards, the 64-year-old has invested her time in many of the things that bring her joy. Goldberg has written books for children and non-fiction readers, she's a political activist and is still one of the vibrant co-hosts on the panel of ABC's The View. And in recent years, she's even invested as an entrepreneur in the medical marijuana industry with her own line of feminine care products. With an estimated net worth of $45 million, Whoopi Goldberg is the realest story of redemption there is.
