The phrase “marriage is not for everyone” is usually attached to men. However, more and more women are vocalizing that they agree with that sentiment. The longtime dream of growing up to marry and have children is proving not to be the case for many women lately. One woman who shares that same feeling is Whoopi Goldberg.
If there’s one thing about actress and television show host Whoopi Goldberg, it’s that she keeps it all the way real. During an interview with The New York Times, she set the record straight as to why marriage is not for her. Plainly and simply, Goldberg declared that she’s “much happier on my own.” The host of The View explained that she enjoys the ability to freely spend time with whomever she chooses to spend it with. This does not mean that she is looking to commit to being with a significant other forever, much less share the same living space with them. “I don’t want somebody in my house,” Goldberg said.
However, this may not always have been the case. It is to be noted that Whoopi Goldberg has been previously married three times. Goldberg’s first marriage was to Alvin “Louise” Martin, who was initially her counselor. The actress had some struggles that began in her teenage years that led her to become homeless in the 70s. But meeting Martin at a rehab center began her journey to being clean. Their relationship began to develop over time, and soon Whoopi Goldberg was pregnant with their daughter, Alexandria Martin.
In 1973, an 18-year-old Whoopi Goldberg and Alvin Martin took their relationship a step further and got married. Their marriage would only last for 6 years before they ultimately split in 1979. While their reason for deciding to call it quits was never publicly revealed, her ex-husband was reportedly unable to withstand Whoopi Goldberg’s “instability and complicated behavior.”
Whoopi Goldberg tried her hand at marriage again in the 80s. A Dutch cinemetagrapher named David Claessen moved to the United States in 1986 and in the same year met Goldberg. They dated for 8 months after meeting on set of a documentary entitled “Who Are They?” and married in September of the same year. Their marriage lasted for two years before ending in divorce. You know what they say, right? Third time’s the charm. Except this time, that wasn’t the case for Whoopi Goldberg when she tried married life once again.
In October of 1994, she married actor Lyle Trachtenberg after dating him for 9 months. However, this marriage would only last for about a year, making it her shortest marriage. It would also be the last time that Goldberg walked down the aisle and became someone’s wife. While she vows to never marry, that’s not to say that Whoopi Goldberg is not actively dating. Outside of marriage, her past dating life includes relationships with British actor Timothy Dalton (famous for his James Bond roles), as well as Ted Danson.nAfter her marriage to Trachtenberg, Whoopi Goldberg began to date actor Frank Langella. Their relationship would go on to last for five years. In 2001, she entered into a relationship with Michael Visbal. However, they split in 2004.
The actress has also written about her thoughts on love in a book titled If Someone Says “You Complete Me,” RUN!: Whoopi’s Big Book of Relationships. Goldberg had a conversation with actress Glenn Close for Interview Magazine where she touched on the book and revealed where she is now with her views on love. “I feel it, but not for a partner,” she explained. “That’s not where my love is. My love is embracing my family and finding what it is that I want to give, instead of finding somebody to make me feel better.”
Goldberg went on to add that she has no capacity for any type of partner whether it be a “boyfriend, girlfriend, husband, [or] wife.” She also shared that it made her sad that she was not feeling the need to be in a relationship, but “only for a minute” she said. As it pertains to her previous husbands, Whoopi Goldberg confessed that she never really loved them. In an interview with Piers Morgan on CNN, she shared her realization that the reason she wanted to be married was to “feel normal” and have more of a normal life. But, she admitted that that’s no good reason to be married.
