The View paid tribute to its legendary creator Barbara Walters on Tuesday’s telecast.
Walters died on December 30 at the age of 93.
The episode brought past and present co-hosts together for a special installment that celebrated the legacy of Barbara.
Joy Behar, Whoopi Goldberg, Sunny Hostin, Sara Haines, and Alyssa Farah Griffin were joined by Meredith Vieira, Star Jones, Debbie Matenopoulos, Lisa Ling, Sherri Sheperd, and Elisabeth Hasselbeck.
Behar, Vieira, Jones, and Matenopoulos were a part of the original panel when the show launched in 1997.
“She is the reason we’re all sitting here today,” Goldberg said at the beginning of the telecast.
Whoopi said that Barbara was a memorable part of the TV industry because “she did not allow them to not respect her.”
“We knew her better than anyone, I think,” added Behar.
“She was the original role model for everyone.”
#WhoopiGoldberg reflects on meeting Barbara Walters for the first time and shares how they both bonded over motherhood while balancing demanding careers.
“It was really an audition for 20 years later to come hang out [on #TheView].” https://t.co/cVclFZQmjA pic.twitter.com/No0WAD1ZmD
— The View (@TheView) January 3, 2023
“She was not just a friend to us; she was really one of a kind and very important to the industry.”
The co-hosts opened up about how Walters loved to tell stories, and dirty jokes, among other things.
“She could tell you everything about anybody in the room,” said Jones during the telecast, adding that Barbara always had all the tea.
“She was the best gossiper; she knew how to tell tales…If you wanted to know the tea, Barbara Walters had it.”
“She loved dirty jokes, and she loved to re-gift,” added Behar with a laugh.
Behar said, “at Christmas, she would shop in her closet.”
Matenopoulos went on to speak about how Walters helped her career.
“I was a 22-year-old journalism student at NYU,” Matenopoulos said, adding that the advice from Walters was vital.
“Baby, you’re going to wear these shoes,” Matenopoulos recalled, “and this is what you’re going to say and what you’re not going to say.”
Check out another clip below.
.@JoyVBehar on Barbara Walters: “She very much defied sexism and she defied ageism. She went right into the jaws of the lion.”
“She was the original role model for everybody else.” https://t.co/cVclFZQmjA pic.twitter.com/T9wl5ityl9
— The View (@TheView) January 3, 2023
Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.
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