Whoopi Goldberg snaps on LeBron James: Promote the vaccine or shut up about everything else you preach

Whoopi Goldberg took a swipe at NBA superstar LeBron James during Thursday's broadcast of "The View," demanding that he speak up in support for COVID-19 vaccines — or stop pushing his own agenda in the future.

James, who is vaccinated, has said that he believes getting vaccinated is a person's individual choice and should not be influenced by anything else.

In a recent interview, James said, "Everyone has their own choice to do what they feel is right for themselves and their family and things of that nature. I know that I was very skeptical about it all, but after doing my research and things of that nature, I felt like it was best suited not only for me, but for my family and for my friends. But as far as speaking for everybody and their individuality and things they want to do, I don't feel that is my job."

What are the details?

Goldberg and the other co-hosts were in unanimous agreement that James ought to use his influence to convince people to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

After playing the video clip of James insisting that it was not his "job" to advocate for the vaccine, Goldberg spat, "Well, it's kind of funny because if it's not your job, that means that some of those folks that would be coming to see you play are not going to come see you play because they can't get in. ... It's not your job to tell people what to do, but you can suggest that you've figured out nobody grew a second head or a tail when they got the shot. I mean, I don't know why that would be hard for folks."

Co-host Ana Navarro added that James has a "responsibility" to educate people about the importance of vaccines.

"You have a responsibility to those people that made you to share what you know and to try to get them to do the right thing," Navarro insisted. "I'm sorry, I wish we had private lives. We don't. We are public people with a lot of privileges and that's the responsibility that comes along with it."

Co-host Sara Haines referred to the lower vaccination rate in the black community and added that because James is black, he ought to be the leader in vaccine advocacy for his community.

Co-host Sunny Hostin added, "I was really deeply disappointed that he said that just because he has such a large platform. In America we talk about personal freedoms so much because it is really the foundation of our country, but what we have to realize is that as citizens ... we don't have the right to harm our colleagues and our colleagues' families."

Goldberg concluded, "If you don't want to speak out, remember you said that, because it's going to come back and bite you in the behind when you want to talk about issues that are bothering you. Just know that people are going to come back and say, 'Well, why are you talking now?' ... This is really important, LeBron, whether you decide to talk about why you and your family got vaccinated, it is important for you as an American citizen, for me as an American citizen, for all of us to do our part here."

"You got to help us out here, do what you can, and as you have in the past because this is as important as anything else we're going to be talking about in ten years," she added.