During a recent episode of ‘The View’, the cast of ‘A Different World’ reunited alongside producer and director Debbie Allen. The conversation among the guest stars on the show led to Whoopi Goldberg, who was moderating the discussion with co-stars Sunny Hostin and Sara Haines.
Whoopi Goldberg, who had just won an Oscar for her role in Ghost, made a cameo as a professor in the episode, assigning students to write their own eulogies. Tisha Campbell also appeared as a student revealing she had AIDS. This episode was the first network television show to address AIDS after Magic Johnson’s announcement.
Debbie Allen shared that Goldberg was the show’s “secret weapon” in creating a powerful episode about the AIDS epidemic. Allen and executive producer Susan Fales knew they needed a big gun to make the episode happen, and Goldberg readily agreed to participate, making it the sitcom’s highest-rated that year.
Being part of a series focusing on an all-Black cast attending college was a unique opportunity for Goldberg, who noted that it allowed her to explore complex issues affecting African Americans in a way that mainstream media often overlooked. The conversation on ‘The View’ provided a nostalgic look back at a groundbreaking episode of the popular show.
