The owner of a Staten Island bakery has publicly refuted claims by “The View” co-host Whoopi Goldberg that the establishment refused to serve her because of her views.
Goldberg said on the daytime show on Wednesday that the longstanding bakery refused her cupcakes due to her liberal stance.
Jill Holtermann, who owns Holtermann’s Bakery on Staten Island, said that they were unable to meet the order due to a boiler issue and held a press conference on Friday flanked by local elected officials to bat back Goldberg’s claims.
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Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella explained what happened and then Holtermann thanked the public for their support.
“It’s been here 145 years. They had a boiler that was 60 or 70 years old. And the first week in November, guess what? It went on the fritz,” Fossella said.
“They had it replaced. And the reputation of Holtermann’s is impeccable, so rather than commit to something they couldn’t guarantee, they said, ‘we can’t do it.’ And the person who besmirched, defamed them, took that as an insult to her. Well, get over it. This family will be here for, God willing, another 145 years.”
Holtermann thanked the community for its support in the wake of the controversy and said she has been bombarded with calls since the episode aired.
“I’m so overwhelmed by the support. Between finding out yesterday, this even happened, getting phone calls and then people coming in and people from all over just supporting us in every way,” she said. “We had phone calls yesterday from Alabama. Guys, I’m going to give you $50, send it to a school, send them donuts, send them cupcakes. The support has been so overwhelming and I know how hard my family has worked to keep this business alive.”
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She said the community is the backbone of the business and staff have conversations with customers every day about the well-being of their families.
During Wednesday’s episode of “The View,” Goldberg and her co-hosts celebrated her 69th birthday with Charlotte Russe desserts, a nostalgic New York treat that Goldberg shared was her mother’s favorite.
Goldberg told the audience her birthday order had almost fallen through due to what she claimed was the bakery’s objection to her left-wing political stance.
“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,” said Goldberg on Wednesday. She claimed that her order wasn’t rejected because of her gender, but rather because “they did not like my politics.”
Holtermann denied Goldberg’s version of the events to Entertainment Weekly, explaining that the bakery’s issues were not politically motivated but stemmed from mechanical problems with their boilers, an ongoing challenge in their building, which was built in 1930.
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“I said to Whoopi, ‘I can’t do it right now’,” Holtermann told the outlet. “We have so many things going on with my boiler.”
Holtermann confirmed that she ultimately managed to make 50 treats, which were picked up early Wednesday morning for “The View’s” taping.
Holtermann reiterated that her inability to immediately confirm the order had nothing to do with Goldberg’s political beliefs, adding, “I didn’t want to make a commitment that I can’t carry through,” given the existing technical difficulties.
Fox News’ Jasmine Baehr contributed to this report.
