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- Whoopi Goldberg suggested that young people can't afford a home because they don't work hard enough.
- "If you only want to work four hours, it's going to be harder for you to get a house," she said.
- Some social media users are criticizing her for being out of touch.
Actress and TV personality Whoopi Goldberg is getting flak online for suggesting that Gen Z and millennials are unable to afford a home because they don't work hard enough.
In a discussion on the daytime talk show "The View," co-hosts Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Alyssa Farah Griffin, Sara Haines, and Sunny Hostin discussed whether Gen Z and millennials are worse off than their parents because of rising inflation and debt and therefore, have a harder time buying a house or starting a family.
"Every generation comes and wants to do better than their parents did … every generation," Goldberg said. "But I'm sorry if you only want to work four hours, it's going to be harder for you to get a house," she added.
"I feel for everybody that feels this … We had to bust our behinds because we didn't have the option of going back," she said.
The actress' sentiments have been echoed by NYU professors Suzy Welch and Scott Galloway who have said that young workers who reject the hustle culture will struggle to be successful and make lots of money in the future.
However, some commenters on social media say Goldberg's comments are out of touch.
One user commented on X: "When you've been rich for so long, you really do lose track of reality for the average citizen."
Other TikTok users are calling her out for her views.
Insider contacted ABC, the network which aired the show, for comment but didn't hear back.
Some young people are struggling to reach key financial milestones because of skyrocketing house prices and increasing cost of living.
Rates on the 30-year fixed mortgage hit a 23-year high in October, reaching 7.92%, further pushing out prospective homebuyers.
And some younger workers say they have taken on a second job to boost their income, a recent Deloitte survey found.
Still, there are plenty of younger workers who say they're actually rejecting corporate culture in favor of work-life balance. This includes demanding flexible or remote working environments, complaining about the 40-hour work week, and taking on "lazy-girl jobs" that are low-stress roles with decent wages.