Celebrities

Whoopi Goldberg blew her mother’s ashes into water at Disneyland’s It’s a Small World ride

By
Emma Tufo
Published July 11, 2024, 2:50 p.m. ET

Families on trips to Disneyland may have unwittingly found themselves floating through the ashes of Whoopi Goldberg’s mother on the classic It’s a Small World ride.

Goldberg disclosed that she and her late brother, Clyde, spread her mother’s ashes inside the beloved Disney attraction shortly after she died in 2010.

“No one should do this. Don’t do it,” Goldberg, 68, cautioned during the July 10 episode of “Late Night with Seth Meyers.”

“She loved Small World. So, in the Small World ride, periodically, I’d scoop some of her up and I’d do this poof, and I said, ‘My God, this cold is getting worse and worse!’ And then we got over to the flowers where it says, ‘Disneyland’ and I was like, ‘Oh, look at that! Poof.’” 

Goldberg disclosed that she and her late brother, Clyde, spread her mother's ashes inside the beloved Disney attraction shortly after she died in 2010.
Goldberg disclosed that she and her late brother, Clyde, spread her mother’s ashes inside the beloved Disney attraction shortly after she died in 2010. Lloyd Bishop/NBC via Getty Images
Whoopi Goldberg and her mother, Emma Harris.
Whoopi Goldberg and her mother, Emma Harris. Instagram / @whoopigoldberg

Goldberg later informed the park officials of her actions to ensure they were safe and appropriate.

“I told them I did it. I wanted to make sure, actually, that I hadn’t done something that was dangerous, because it hadn’t occurred to me. But there’s a reason they don’t want ashes just floating around,” she said.

The Oscar-winning actress previously described spreading her mother’s ashes in her memoir, “Bits and Pieces,” which was released in May. 

Goldberg said she later informed the park officials of her actions to ensure they were safe and appropriate, in the interview on "Late Night with Seth Meyers."
Goldberg said she later informed the park officials of her actions to ensure they were safe and appropriate, in the interview on “Late Night with Seth Meyers.” Lloyd Bishop/NBC via Getty Images
“I told them I did it. I wanted to make sure, actually, that I hadn't done something that was dangerous, because it hadn't occurred to me. But there's a reason they don't want ashes just floating around,” she said.
“I told them I did it. I wanted to make sure, actually, that I hadn’t done something that was dangerous, because it hadn’t occurred to me. But there’s a reason they don’t want ashes just floating around,” she said. ASSOCIATED PRESS

“It was her vision of what human beings should be, these children of the world: all colors, religions, and cultures together. Disney had made it seem possible that all the kids of the world would hold hands in unity,” Goldberg wrote.

“The day Clyde and I took her ashes to Disneyland, it’s possible a lot of her went into the Small World ride, her favorite. We were subtle about it, kind of sneezing Ma out here and there when no one was looking,” she continued. “We didn’t get caught, but I confessed it later to a park employee. They weren’t surprised, and they certainly were not happy about it.”

Walt Disney designed and built the ride for the 1964 World’s Fair before it moved to a permanent structure at Disneyland in 1966.

"It was her vision of what human beings should be," Goldberg said.
“It was her vision of what human beings should be,” Goldberg said. Instagram / @whoopigoldberg

The actress also acknowledged the health and cleanliness concerns associated with such actions, which reportedly occur often within Disney parks.

A recent incident involved a guest dumping a portion of ashes inside the Star Wars-themed Rise of the Resistance attraction in March, according to Inside the Magic.

In July 2023, Goldberg shared her preference for cremation when she dies during an episode of “The View,” envisioning her remains as “dust in the wind.” 

Goldberg released a novel in May, titled, "Bits and Pieces."
Goldberg released a novel in May, titled, “Bits and Pieces.” Getty Images

“I’m going to be going around the world, I’m going to be everywhere. I might be in your backyard – I don’t know,” the moderator said. “I don’t want people to feel obligated to come to the cemetery. If you want to remember me, remember me.”

When co-host Joy Behar then asked if she cares how she is portrayed after death, Goldberg replied: “I don’t want to be a hologram. That’s been in my will for 15 years.”

“They don’t ask you, that’s the thing,” Behar, 81, responded. “They just do it, and then you go – ‘Hey, isn’t that Tupac? Wait a minute.’”

It’s a Small World attraction in Anaheim, California. Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
Goldberg said she wants to be cremated when she dies.
Goldberg said she wants to be cremated when she dies. Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images

“I don’t want that. It’s a little freaky, creepy, yeah,” Goldberg stated.

Co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin noted that holographic recordings of celebrities after their death are seen as acceptable if permitted by their estate.

“My estate doesn’t want it,” Goldberg noted. “My estate wants to be left alone.”

In December 2023, Goldberg also revealed a provision in her will that prohibits unauthorized biographical films about her life and career, unless her family gives permission.