She has been a well-known name in the movie industry for decades – but some people are only just learning how Whoopi Goldberg got her stage name after all of these years
Her on-stage career began in 1983 with a one-woman show – and ever since then, she has been an international household name.
However, many fans still have no idea how Whoopi Goldberg got her stage name, with some admitting to having never questioned it.
Goldberg, who is actually called Caryn Elanie Johnson, is an actor, comedian, author, and television personality. In her memoir, Bits and Pieces: My Mother, My Brother, and Me, the Oscar winner revealed the story behind her unusual stage name after receiving countless questions about it throughout her career.
Goldberg has more than 200 credits including in Ghost, Sister Act, Star Trek: The Next Generation, and The Color Purple. She wrote: “Once I started getting parts in plays, I wanted a name that sounded more interesting. Caryn Johnson wasn’t it. Some people at the Rep called me Whoopi because I would sometimes let loose with a fart. I added ‘Cush-ione’ to it, with a French pronunciation.
“Then, I got a review written by journalist Welton Jones. It was a good one, so I sent it to my mother. Later, when we talked on the phone, she said, ‘What is this Whoopi Cushione?’ Her mum suggested changing Cushione to Goldberg to create a ‘more substantial name’ so she’d be taken more seriously by the industry.
“She said, ‘Well, you should take one of the names from the family tree. How about Goldberg? That has a nice ring to it.’ That became my name. Only my family and a few people who knew me early in my life still called me Caryn.”
In an interview, she talked about how the name Goldberg is a “part of her family”. “My mother did not name me Whoopi, but Goldberg is my name – it’s part of my family, part of my heritage, just like being Black,” she once said. She also commented: “I just know I am Jewish. I practice nothing. I don’t go to temple, but I do remember the holidays.”
Commenting on this revelation, one surprised Reddit user said: “Her name is the perfect mix of whimsy and strategy.” Another user added: “Today I learned Whoopi Goldberg isn’t her real name. I’m totally being serious. I genuinely thought that was her real name.”
Meanwhile a third user said: “It’s sad that [British actor] Peter Cushing is dead. I always thought Whoopi Goldberg ought to have married him,” in reference to her name – which then would have been Whoopi Cushing, similar to her original stage name.
Goldberg has also spoken out about how people tend to question her Jewish heritage. She has previously said her family is “Jewish, Buddhist, Baptist, and Catholic.”
