Debbie Allen Shares the Secrets Behind ‘A Different World’s’ Groundbreaking AIDS Epidemic Episode: An Exclusive Conversation on The View

Debbie Allen, the producer and director of ‘A Different World,’ joined the cast on an episode of ‘The View.’ The conversation on the show’s guest stars led to a discussion about Whoopi Goldberg, who had just won an Oscar for her role in Ghost.

Allen shared that Goldberg was the show’s “secret weapon” in creating a powerful episode about the AIDS epidemic. In the episode, Goldberg made a cameo as a professor, assigning students to write their own eulogies. Tisha Campbell also appeared as a student revealing she had AIDS. This was the first network television show to address AIDS after Magic Johnson’s announcement.

Allen and executive producer Susan Fales knew they needed a big gun to make the episode happen. Goldberg readily agreed to participate, and the episode became the sitcom’s highest-rated that year. Goldberg noted that being part of a series focusing on an all-Black cast attending college was a unique opportunity.

The conversation on ‘The View’ provided a nostalgic look back at a groundbreaking episode of ‘A Different World.’