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At London's Virgin Megastore last week she arrived minus superstar airs and graces. Fans wanted to hug and embrace her as if she possessed a special magic.
She was there to sign copies of her biography, Book (Little, Brown, £14.99). When a fan cried out "Jumpin' Jack Flash" she replied, "Yeah, it's a gas!"
Before Goldberg became a star in The Color Purple in 1985, she had been on the dole between odd jobs. Her best was as a mortician's beauty artist.
She says, "In death, race and class cease to matter. The money was good, I worked my own hours and the clients rarely talked back."
She was born Caryn Johnson, but became Whoopi because of flatulence. "I broke wind badly as a girl so I was nicknamed Whoopi Cushion. The name stuck."
Whoopi's the first to admit that her love life has been turbulent. Twice divorced, she upset racists in the States with her relationship with Cheers' white star Ted Danson.
"We ended when he blacked his face at a private party. People thought it was racist - I laughed my head off.
"We should have just let it blow over. But with all the stink we ended it. Now I'm with Frank..."
Whoopi's current boyfriend is actor Frank Langella. Whoopi says: "We've been together for three years. He's very funny and loving..."
Goldberg believes every boy should be taught graphically how to satisfy a woman sexually.
She claims that the Vatican has toned down its opposition to homosexual practice since she condemned the Catholic Church for "homophobia".
Her liberal attitudes pervade her own life. When her 14-year-old daughter Alex told her she was pregnant, Whoopi supported her decision to have the baby "No strings support," she calls it.
She says, "I must have been a good mother because Alex confided in me.
"I think she became pregnant so young to establish her own identity from me. She has had other children and she has my complete support."
Someone else she supports is President Clinton. "He's broken no law if he's made these sexual overtures. He could be into sheep for all I care."
Goldberg 48, not 42 as she says, courts controversy on race. She has supported Mumia Abu Jamal, the ex-Black Panther leader who murdered a white policeman.
She says, "I am not an African American. Just call me a black American. The blacks were the only race who were forced to this country - so that's what I am: an American.
"I am not a symbol. Anyone can do what I have done. Blacks helped make America - Africans know I'm not African."
WHOOPI GOLDBERG SELECTED FILMOGRAPHY
The Color Purple, 1985
Jumpin' Jack Flash, 1987
Clara's Heart, 1987
Beverly Hills Brats, 1989
Ghost, 1990
Soapdish, 1991
Change Of Heart, 1992
Sarafina!, 1992
Sister Act, 1992
National Lampoon's Loaded Weapon, '93
The Lion King, 1994
Star Trek: Generations, 1994
Eddie, 1996
In The Gloaming, 1997
