Whoopi Goldberg said she spread her mother's ashes while on a Disneyland ride: 'Don't do it'

It is not uncommon for Disney fans to scatter the ashes of their loved ones at the parks, The Wall Street Journal reported in 2018.

• Whoopi Goldberg said she scattered her mother's ashes at Disneyland.
• The TV host said she immediately admitted to park officials what she had done.
• "I wanted to make sure, actually, that I hadn't done something that was dangerous," she said.

During an appearance on "Late Night with Seth Meyers" last week, Whoopi Goldberg said she honored her late mother — who died in 2010 — by scattering her ashes at Disneyland.

"My mother loved Disneyland, and so we took her to Disneyland," Goldberg told Meyers. "And when I was a kid, the World's Fair was here, and it was the introduction of 'Small World,' and she loved 'Small World.'"

Goldberg then went on to describe how she spread her mother's ashes while on the ride.

"In the 'Small World' ride, periodically, I'd scoop some of her up, and I'd do this," she said, mimicking a big sneeze. "I'd say, 'My God, this cold is getting worse and worse.'"

Goldberg added she repeated her actions near "the flowers where it says 'Disneyland'" before she told the park what she had done.

"I wanted to make sure, actually, that I hadn't done something that was dangerous," she said. "It hadn't occurred to me, but there's a reason they don't want ashes just floating around." She did not specify in what year she scattered her mother's ashes.

"No one should do this," Goldberg added, "Don't do it."

It's not uncommon for Disney fans to scatter the ashes of their loved ones at the parks, The Wall Street Journal reported in 2018. Disney custodians told the outlet that situations like this happen "about once a month."

"This type of behavior is strictly prohibited and unlawful. Guests who attempt to do so will be escorted off property," a Disney representative told The Journal at the time.

"HEPA cleanup" is the code park employees use for such situations, and some former Disney employees told The Journal that they got into trouble for using their own informal term — "Code Grandma."

The LA Times reported in 2007 that some visitors try to request permission to scatter ashes on park premises. A park official told the outlet at that time that the answer "is always no."

In recent years, more and more Americans are opting for cremation instead of a traditional casket burial. Cost forms part of the reason for the shift — cremations tend to be cheaper than burials.

However, concerns about cremation's impact on the environment have led to alternatives such as "aquamation," where a body is dissolved in a vessel, or human composting, where a body is mixed with plant material and turned into soil.

Representatives for Goldberg and Disneyland did not respond to requests for comment from BI sent outside regular business hours.