Whoopi Goldberg said she almost died after developing pneumonia in both lungs

March 8, 2019, 6:49 PM GMT

By Minyvonne Burke

Whoopi Goldberg made an appearance via satellite on “The View” on Friday and said she almost died after a recent bout with pneumonia.

“I am up and moving around. Not as fast as I’d like to be, but I am OK,” Goldberg said.

The talk show host and comedian, 62, has been absent from “The View” since Feb. 5.

Whoopi Goldberg speaks onstage at the Lincoln Center Fashion Gala on Nov. 29, 2018 in New York.Dia Dipasupil / Getty Images for Lincoln Center file

Goldberg said she had pneumonia in both lungs and was also septic.

“I came very, very close to leaving the Earth,” she said. “Good news, I didn’t.”

Goldberg thanked her friends, and critics, for their well-wishes and said she will share more about her health scare when she returns to the ABC daytime talk show. It’s not clear when Goldberg plans to go back on the air.

On a Feb. 20 episode of the show, Joy Behar joked that her co-host was on maternity leave before telling viewers that Goldberg was “on the mend.” Behar also denied rumors she was set to host the Oscars after Kevin Hart’s departure.