The View’s first live episode of 2023 was a touching tribute to its founder, legendary broadcast journalist and television personality Barbara Walters.
The episode, which aired on Jan. 3, paid homage to Barbara’s prominent career following her death at the age of 93 on Dec. 30. During the show, its hosts Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Sara Haines, Sunny Hostin, and Alyssa Farah Griffin, linked up with past cohosts to share memories of the iconic journalist. They had done so following a short introduction highlighting memories of her.
Former View cohost, comedian, actress and TV personality Sherri Shepherd recalled defending Barbara during an on-air interview with conservative Ann Coulter.
“I didn’t like the way she was talking to Barbara, like, you don’t talk to Barbara like that, I will whoop your, you know… I’m not playing with you,” Sherri hilariously said about the program’s founder. “I remember feeling so protective of this woman who was so protective all the time of me, who would ferociously defend me no matter what gaffes I made at the table,” Shepherd said.
Goldberg responded that Walters “demanded that we demand the best of us and respect from others. That’s what she said: ‘You don’t let anybody talk down to you, ever.'”
The episode concluded with a montage of the iconic broadcast journalist’s most memorable moments on The View. It included interviews with Hilary Clinton and Barack Obama and a clip for her final episode on the show’s panel in 2014. During the episode, legendary media mogul Oprah Winfrey brought out 25 women journalists to say goodbye.
"THIS IS MY LEGACY!": See the historic moment Oprah Winfrey and 25 female journalists honored Barbara Walters as she retired from @TheView in May 2014. https://t.co/cVclFZQU98 pic.twitter.com/jZ825o7Qul
— The View (@TheView) January 3, 2023
Barbara successfully launched The View in 1997 as a platform for women with authority to speak on various topics that affect them and the world at large.
