Barbara Walters finally announced her last day on her long-time running TV show, “The View.” Walters, 84, said on Monday that she will be seen for the last time on the show on Friday, May 16. She later received a standing ovation. Her announcement comes nearly one year after she announced her retirement, as she said she was delighted to create “The View” and was looking forward to a special year ahead.
“I cannot tell you how much emotion and love I have for Whoopi (Goldberg) – and admiration,” the legendary TV newscaster said on Monday, after waving to co-hosts Jenny McCarthy and Sherri Shepherd and told them she loves them, too, adding that she will still “keep an eye” on everyone. Walters, who has been a part of ABC for 37 years, will remain as executive producer of “The View” and will be a lifelong member of ABC News to contribute as “news warrants.”
“In this business there are legends, there are icons, and then there is Barbara Walters. She’s a dear friend and colleague as well as someone I deeply admire, and it’s impossible to fully convey her impact and influence on television… It’s hard to imagine television without her,” Walt Disney Company Chairman and Chief Executive Robert A. Iger said.
As part of tribute to Walters, ABC will air a two-hour (9-11 PM EDT) special on May 16 to highlight her life and career. She joined the network in 1976 and became the first woman to anchor an evening news program. After three years, Barbara became a co-host of “20/20,” and launched “The View” in 1997. “The 10 Most Fascinating People” was launched in the show in 1993, and a “20 Years of 10 Most Fascinating People” special will be held in December. Walters started her career at NBC’s “Today Show” back in 1961 and later became one of its hosts.
Walters, who announced her retirement in May 2013, has made more than 800 interviews. This includes world leaders such as the late US President Richard Nixon, Cuban President Fidel Castro, Great Britain’s former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, Vladimir Putin and Boris Yeltsin of Russia, and Iraqi President Sadaam Hussein. And because of her unparalleled achievements, ABC decided to name its New York City Headquarters in her honor, with a ceremony scheduled for later this spring.
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