Whoopi Goldberg is currently stranded in Italy after a volcanic eruption disrupted flights - throwing a wrench into Monday's episode of The View. 

The View was down to just three of it's regular hosts when it returned on Monday, where Joy Behar, 83, revealed a desperate producer had 'begged' her to appear on today's episode due to her absent castmates. 

Goldberg was noticeably absent from the table after a trip to Italy was thwarted by the volcano Mount Etna.  

'So you may be asking, "Why am I here on a Monday?" I asked myself the same question,' Joy began. 'But [producer producer Brian Teta] begged me to come in. Begged me, on his knees, where he belongs. Why? Because we are down three cohosts today.'

'Whoopi is using the old volcano excuse. Watch!' she said, cutting to video of Goldberg in Italy. 

Goldberg, 70, standing beside a majestic view of the sea, told viewers: 'I am in Sicily right now. Mount Etna, who is one of our active volcanoes here in Italy, decided to go off today,' she said. 

'We have spent most of the day trying to get back to [the] United States and all of the airports are closed here. So I will be back as soon as I can.

'And I know that we got all kinds of stories about our different vacations. Well, I think my story just takes the cake! A volcano ate my homework!' 

The Daily Mail has contacted a representative for Goldberg for comment but has not yet heard back.  

Goldberg wasn't the only host missing from the Monday episode.

Ana Navarra was unable to be present due to the weather in Miami while Sara Haines had to tend to 'storm damage.'  

'Ana is stuck in Miami because of the weather. It’s always hot there, what’s the problem?' Behar explained. 'Sara is dealing with storm damage. How many people are dealing with storm damage? Anybody in this group? No, just Sara!' 

That meant Behar was hosting the show with Sunny Hostin, Alysa Farrah Griffin, and guest co-host Michelle Buteau.

The largest volcano in Europe, Mount Etna has been erupting for multiple days. 

The volcano, located on the east coast of Sicily, ejected a huge cloud of volcanic ash on Sunday morning, local time.

Authorities have triggered a red alert for the area, disrupting flights at Catania Airport.

The airport is the main transport hub for eastern Sicily, a tourist hotspot.

Incoming flights were suspended due to safety concerns while the path of the ash cloud was assessed.

Italy's national carrier ITA has since cancelled flights to and from Catania until 2pm on Monday, local time.

It's understood several planes were diverted to Palermo, in northern Sicily.

Those with affected flights have been urged to contact their airline.