Whoopi Goldberg shocked her fans on Tuesday by revealing that she now has to use a walker due to sciatica as she returned to the ABC talk show “The View” for the first time in a week.

Goldberg, 65, seemed happy to be back on the program despite her recent health issues.

“Yes, it’s me, I’m back,” she said, according to Entertainment Tonight. “I was out because I was dealing with something called sciatica, which is basically a bulging disc in your back and it impacts the sciatic nerve, which sends pain down your leg. I’m telling you, it’s like a bad boyfriend … a  bad boyfriend who came back to mess with me.”

“There I was, trying to move my leg — impossible to do,” Goldberg continued. “It was really horrible. But I’m glad to be here.”

Goldberg went on to say that she is now forced to use a walker just to get around.

“I have a walker, which kind of freaked me out,” she confessed. “I didn’t know that I needed it. And you know what? My first step with the walker, this is my new best friend. I’m just gliding along. So, that’s what happened to me. I’m told that it comes out of nowhere.”

Joy Behar, Goldberg’s cohost, said that she battled sciatica when she was younger and that it is often related to stress. Though she told Goldberg to be careful, she also said that she looks very rested.

“Well, what can you do, I’m laying in a hospital room,” Goldberg responded with a laugh. “I’ve turned into this little old Black lady. It’s really strange.”

WELCOME BACK, WHOOPI! ❤️ Our @WhoopiGoldberg returns to @TheView after suffering from sciatica and shares about her recovery. https://t.co/f8u2wbJuik pic.twitter.com/cqOW6sbRvQ

— The View (@TheView) June 29, 2021

The Mayo Clinic states that sciatica most commonly occurs when a herniated disk, bone spur on the spine or narrowing of the spine compresses part of the nerve. It then leads to inflammation, pain and often some numbness in the affected leg.

While the pain of sciatica can be severe at times, most cases of it can be resolved in just a few weeks with non-operational treatment.

However, this is not the first time that Goldberg has been forced to miss episodes of “The View” due to a health issue. Back in 2019, she was out for a month with pneumonia, which nearly cost her her life.

“I had pneumonia, and I was septic,” she said afterwards. “Pneumonia in both lungs which meant there was fluid and all kinds of stuff going on and yes I came very, very close to leaving the earth. Good news? I didn’t.”