The newswoman, Barbara Walters, who has had many television interviews with celebrities and world figures alike has passed away at the age of 93 years old. Walters was the first female co-host of the Today show, the first evening news anchorwoman in broadcast history and a co-creator and co-host of The View. Walters had passed on Friday evening at her home in New York.
Back in 2013 Walters revealed that she was retiring from journalism saying, “I thought it was better to go when people are saying, ‘Why is she leaving?’ than, ‘Thank goodness she’s leaving!’”
Barbara Walters was also known for co-hosting the ABC News Magazine Program 20/20 with Hugh Downs. Her five year, $5 million dollar contract included her hosting four one hour primetime specials a year made her the highest paid newscaster in history. Half of her salary came from the entertainment division’s budget. When the then CBS News president Richard Salant learned of her earnings he asked, “Is Barbara a journalist, or is she Cher?”
The very first Barbara Walters Special aired in 1976 with an interview of President-elect Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn. With the second half of the special showing Walters talking with Barbra Streisand and her boyfriend at the time, producer Jon Peters.
Among the other celebrities she interviewed were a painfully shy Fred Astaire, Ingrid Bergman, Truman Capote, Mamie Eisenhower, Judy Garland (the actress-singer made her wait four or five hours), Audrey Hepburn, Candice Bergen, Diana Ross, Monica Seles, Michael Jackson, Roseanne Barr, Tom Cruise, Eddie Murphy, George Clooney, Kate Gosselin and Honey Boo-Boo, to name just a handful.
During her career, Walters earned over 40 Primetime, Daytime and News & Documentary Emmy nominations, winning five times. She also had three husbands, Robert Katz, Lee Guber, and Merv Adelson. In 1968 her and Guber adopted a daughter, Jacqueline.
Walters was honored back in May of 2014 when ABC News building on West 66th Street in Manhattan was named The Barbara Walters Building. At the time she stated that, “I am so truly touched by this, I want to make something very clear, that each and every one of you, from the desk assistants to the producers to the correspondents and anchors, each of you who walk through these doors every day … my name is going to be on this building, but the building belongs to you.”
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