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A television icon. Barbara Walters spent six decades as a hard-hitting journalist — interviewing everyone from controversial political leaders to some of the world’s most high-profile stars — prior to her retirement in 2014.
Walters kicked off her career in the 1960s on the Today show, where she went from working behind the scenes as a producer and writer to making her way in front of the camera as a popular cohost.
Her reach only expanded in the following decade when she landed a different cohost position, this time at ABC Evening News — the network that she would call home for the next five decades. The Massachusetts native’s tenure on the news program, coupled with her own Barbara Walters Special, gave her access to (and insight into) public figures ranging from President Richard Nixon and Fidel Castro to Lucille Ball and Fred Astaire.
In 1979, Walters landed another career-defining role as the host of ABC’s 20/20, a position she held until 2004. As the television anchor continued to lead the industry with countless celebrity interviews, her own fame grew as well. Her enduring catchphrase — “I’m Barbara Walters, and this is 20/20” — held up so well through the decades that she briefly came out of retirement in order to utter the words on New Year’s Eve 2019.
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console.log(‘second promise a9 ready’); } else if ( bidder === ‘ix’ ) { requestManager.ix = true; console.log(‘second promise ix ready’); } else if ( bidder === ‘iris’ ) { requestManager.iris = true; console.log(‘second promise iris ready’); } // if all bidders are back, send the request to the ad server if ( allBiddersBack() ) { resolve( url ); } } if ( typeof apstag == ‘object’ && apstag ) { apstag.fetchBids({ slots: [{ slotID: window.prerollTag[vHash], mediaType: ‘video’ }] }, function( bids ) { console.log( “AMI jwp amazon bid callback”, new Date().getTime(), bids ); window.jwpBids[vHash].amazon = true; if ( bids.length > 0 ) { //If we have received any bids back try { console.log(“AMI jwp amazon bid request ad”, bids[0].encodedQsParams); url = url + ‘&scp=’ + bids[0].encodedQsParams; } catch ( e ) { console.log(e); } } else { console.log(“AMI jwp amazon no bids”); } headerBidderBack(‘a9’); }); } else { headerBidderBack(‘a9’); } headertag.cmd.push( function() { headertag.retrieveVideoDemand( [{‘htSlotName’: ‘preroll’}], function( demand ) { console.log( “AMI jwp IX callback”, demand ); if ( ‘undefined’ !== typeof demand.preroll && demand.preroll.length ){ window.jwpBids[vHash].ixBids = demand.preroll[0].targeting.price; console.log( ‘AMI jwp IX Bids’, new Date().getTime(), demand.preroll[0].targeting ); var vastURL = new URL( url ); var vastParams = new URLSearchParams( vastURL.search ); if ( vastParams.has( ‘cust_params’ ) ) { var custParams = new URLSearchParams( vastParams.get( ‘cust_params’ ) ); } else { var custParams = new URLSearchParams(); } var keys = Object.keys( demand.preroll[0].targeting.price ); for ( var key of keys ) { custParams.set( key, demand.preroll[0].targeting.price[key][0]); } vastParams.set( ‘cust_params’, custParams.toString() ); vastURL.search = vastParams.toString(); url = vastURL.toString(); } headerBidderBack(‘ix’); } ); } ); // Get main item context data window.irisContext.getContext(jwplayer(el).getPlaylistItem().mediaid).then(function(data) { // Encode the context data console.log( ‘AMI jwp IrisTV Bids’, new Date().getTime(), data.context ); // Replace the server url with the context data (this is for simple ad requests), // If you have the serverUrl dynamically configured, then you will need to append the context data // under cust_params, so this is just for testing purpose if ( data.context && Object.keys( data.context ).length ) { var vastURL = new URL( url ); var vastParams = new URLSearchParams( vastURL.search ); if ( vastParams.has( ‘cust_params’ ) ) { var custParams = new URLSearchParams( vastParams.get( ‘cust_params’ ) ); } else { var custParams = new URLSearchParams(); } custParams.set( ‘iris_context’, data.context.join(‘,’)); vastParams.set( ‘cust_params’, decodeURIComponent( custParams.toString() ) ); vastURL.search = vastParams.toString(); url = vastURL.toString(); } headerBidderBack(‘iris’); }); setTimeout(function(){ resolve( url ); }, 10000); }); } var player_jwplayer_1mfpq58C_zhNYySv2_div = jwplayer(el).setup(videoParams).on(“ready”, function(){ var el = decodeURIComponent( “jwplayer_1mfpq58C_zhNYySv2_div” ); var playerInstance = jwplayer(el); ns_.StreamingAnalytics.JWPlayer( playerInstance, { publisherId: “6036076”, labelmapping: “ns_st_pu=”AMI”, c3=”Us Weekly”, ns_st_ge=”” + decodeURIComponent( “%2Anull” ) + “”, ns_st_ia=”” + decodeURIComponent( “%2Anull” ) + “”, ns_st_ce=”” + decodeURIComponent( “1” ) + “”, ns_st_ddt=”” + decodeURIComponent( “%2Anull” ) + “”, ns_st_tdt=”” + decodeURIComponent( “%2Anull” ) + “””, }); }).on(‘adsManager’, (e) => { var vHash = ‘ami’ + decodeURIComponent( ‘1mfpq58C’ ); const { adsManager, videoElement } = e; const iasConfig = { anId: ‘928572’, campId: `${jwplayer().getWidth()}x${jwplayer().getHeight()}`, // This is dynamic based on player dimensions, but can be hard coded chanId: window.prerollTag[vHash], placementId: ‘Open Auction’, pubOrder: ‘Video’, pubId: ‘Direct’ }; if (googleImaVansAdapter) { googleImaVansAdapter.init(window.google, adsManager, videoElement, iasConfig); } }).on( ‘time’, function( e ) { var id = this.id; var pct = Math.round( e.position ); if ( ! window.amiPlayersData ) { window.amiPlayersData = {}; } if ( ! window.amiPlayersData[id] ) { window.amiPlayersData[id] = { m3: false, m10: false }; } if ( window.amiPlayersData[id][‘m3’] === false && pct >= 3 ) { window.amiPlayersData[id][‘m3’] = true; console.log( ‘3sec played: ‘, id ); window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; dataLayer.push( {event: ‘JWPlayEvent’, jwTime: ‘3s played’} ); } if ( window.amiPlayersData[id][‘m10’] === false && pct >= 10 ) { window.amiPlayersData[id][‘m10’] = true; console.log( ’10sec played: ‘, id ); window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; dataLayer.push( {event: ‘JWPlayEvent’, jwTime: ’10s played’} ); } }).on( ‘complete’, function( e ) { if ( window.amiPlayersData && window.amiPlayersData[ this.id ] ) { window.amiPlayersData[ this.id ][‘m3’] = false; window.amiPlayersData[ this.id ][‘m10’] = false; console.log( ‘clear played: ‘, this.id ); } }).once(“play”, function(){ var el = decodeURIComponent( “jwplayer_1mfpq58C_zhNYySv2_div” ); var playerInstance = jwplayer(el); loadIrisPlugin(playerInstance, playerInstance.getConfig().plugins[“https://ovp.iris.tv/plugins/jwplayer/v2/iris-jwplayer8.adaptive.min.js”]) }).on(‘play’, (e) => { var el = decodeURIComponent( “jwplayer_1mfpq58C_zhNYySv2_div” ); var vHash = “ami” + decodeURIComponent( “1mfpq58C” ); var jwInfo = jwplayer(el).getPlaylistItem(jwplayer(el).getPlaylistIndex()); // skip if the video was paused and trying to resume if (jwplayer(el).getState() !== ‘idle’ && jwplayer(el).getState() !== ‘complete’) { return; } window.permutive.track(“VideoPlay”, { play_id: el, //this will stay constant for all of the events emitted during the same video play video: { duration: Math.round(jwInfo.duration), // in seconds name: jwInfo.title, video_id: decodeURIComponent( “1mfpq58C” ), description: jwInfo.description, published_at: new Date(jwInfo.pubdate).toISOString() }, enriched_data:{ tvchannel: decodeURIComponent( “Us%20Weekly” ), //tv channel name language:”English”, //language of the content type: “video”, keywords: jwInfo.tags.split(“,”), //keywords for the page } }); console.log(“Permutive video play”); }).on(‘complete’, (e) => { var el = decodeURIComponent( “jwplayer_1mfpq58C_zhNYySv2_div” ); var vHash = “ami” + decodeURIComponent( “1mfpq58C” ); var jwInfo = jwplayer(el).getPlaylistItem(jwplayer(el).getPlaylistIndex()); // skip if the video was paused and trying to resume if (jwplayer(el).getState() !== ‘idle’ && jwplayer(el).getState() !== ‘complete’) { return; } window.permutive.track(“VideoComplete”, { play_id: el, //this will stay constant for all of the events emitted during the same video play video: { duration: Math.round(jwInfo.duration), // in seconds name: jwInfo.title, video_id: decodeURIComponent( “1mfpq58C” ), description: jwInfo.description, published_at: new Date(jwInfo.pubdate).toISOString() }, enriched_data:{ tvchannel: decodeURIComponent( “Us%20Weekly” ), //tv channel name language: “English”, //language of the content type: “video”, keywords: jwInfo.tags.split(“,”), //keywords for the page } }); console.log(“Permutive video event:”, e); window.lock_25 = false; window.lock_50 = false; window.lock_75 = false; window.lock_100 = false; }).on(‘time’, (e) => { var el = decodeURIComponent( “jwplayer_1mfpq58C_zhNYySv2_div” ); var vHash = “ami” + decodeURIComponent( “1mfpq58C” ); var jwInfo = jwplayer(el).getPlaylistItem(jwplayer(el).getPlaylistIndex()); var progress = (e.currentTime/e.duration).toFixed(2); if ( (0.25 === progress && false === window.lock_25) || (0.5 === progress && false === window.lock_50) || (0.75 === progress && false === window.lock_75) || (100 === progress && false === window.lock_100) ) { window.permutive.track(“VideoProgress”, { play_id: el, //this will stay constant for all of the events emitted during the same video play progress: Number(progress), video: { duration: Math.round(jwInfo.duration), // in seconds name: jwInfo.title, video_id: decodeURIComponent( “1mfpq58C” ), description: jwInfo.description, published_at: new Date(jwInfo.pubdate).toISOString() }, enriched_data:{ tvchannel: decodeURIComponent( “Us%20Weekly” ), //tv channel name language: “English”, //language of the content type: “video”, keywords: jwInfo.tags.split(“,”), //keywords for the page } }); if ( 0.25 === progress ) { window.lock_25 = true; } if ( 0.5 === progress ) { window.lock_50 = true; } if ( 0.75 === progress ) { window.lock_75 = true; } if ( 1 === progress ) { window.lock_100 = true; } console.log(“Permutive video play progress ” + progress); } }).on(‘mute’, (e) => { var el = decodeURIComponent( “jwplayer_1mfpq58C_zhNYySv2_div” ); var vHash = “ami” + decodeURIComponent( “1mfpq58C” ); var jwInfo = jwplayer(el).getPlaylistItem(jwplayer(el).getPlaylistIndex()); window.permutive.track(“VideoEvent”, { play_id: el, //this will stay constant for all of the events emitted during the same video play event: (e.mute) ? “sound off” : “sound on”, video: { duration: Math.round(jwInfo.duration), // in seconds name: jwInfo.title, video_id: decodeURIComponent( “1mfpq58C” ), description: jwInfo.description, published_at: new Date(jwInfo.pubdate).toISOString() } }); console.log(“Permutive video event:”, e); }).on(‘fullscreen’, (e) => { var el = decodeURIComponent( “jwplayer_1mfpq58C_zhNYySv2_div” ); var vHash = “ami” + decodeURIComponent( “1mfpq58C” ); var jwInfo = jwplayer(el).getPlaylistItem(jwplayer(el).getPlaylistIndex()); window.permutive.track(“VideoEvent”, { play_id: el, //this will stay constant for all of the events emitted during the same video play event: (e.fullscreen) ? “fullscreen on” : “fullscreen off”, video: { duration: Math.round(jwInfo.duration), // in seconds name: jwInfo.title, video_id: decodeURIComponent( “1mfpq58C” ), description: jwInfo.description, published_at: new Date(jwInfo.pubdate).toISOString() } }); console.log(“Permutive video event:”, e); }).on(‘ready’, (e) => { var el = decodeURIComponent( “jwplayer_1mfpq58C_zhNYySv2_div” ); var vHash = “ami” + decodeURIComponent( “1mfpq58C” ); var jwInfo = jwplayer(el).getPlaylistItem(jwplayer(el).getPlaylistIndex()); console.log(jwInfo); window.lock_25 = false; window.lock_50 = false; window.lock_75 = false; window.lock_100 = false; window.permutive.track(“VideoLoad”, { play_id: el, //this will stay constant for all of the events emitted during the same video play video: { duration: Math.round(jwInfo.duration), // in seconds name: jwInfo.title, video_id: decodeURIComponent( “1mfpq58C” ), description: jwInfo.description, published_at: new Date(jwInfo.pubdate).toISOString() }, enriched_data:{ tvchannel: decodeURIComponent( “Us%20Weekly” ), //tv channel name language: “English”, //language of the content type: “video”, keywords: jwInfo.tags.split(“,”), //keywords for the page } }); console.log(“Permutive video load event”); }).on(‘adPlay’, (e) => { var el = decodeURIComponent( “jwplayer_1mfpq58C_zhNYySv2_div” ); var vHash = “ami” + decodeURIComponent( “1mfpq58C” ); window.adInfo = e; var jwInfo = jwplayer(el).getPlaylistItem(jwplayer(el).getPlaylistIndex()); window.adlock_25 = false; window.adlock_50 = false; window.adlock_75 = false; window.adlock_100 = false; window.permutive.track(“VideoAdPlay”, { play_id: el, //this will stay constant for all of the events emitted during the same video play ad: { duration: Math.round(window.adInfo.duration), creative_name: window.adInfo.adtitle, ad_id: window.adInfo.adId, title: window.adInfo.adtitle, video_type: “instream” //outstream }, video: { duration: Math.round(jwInfo.duration), // in seconds name: jwInfo.title, video_id: decodeURIComponent( “1mfpq58C” ), description: jwInfo.description, published_at: new Date(jwInfo.pubdate).toISOString() }, enriched_data:{ tvchannel: decodeURIComponent( “Us%20Weekly” ), //tv channel name language: “English”, //language of the content type: “video”, keywords: jwInfo.tags.split(“,”), //keywords for the page } }); console.log(“Permutive video ad play”); }).on(‘adClick’, (e) => { var el = decodeURIComponent( “jwplayer_1mfpq58C_zhNYySv2_div” ); var vHash = “ami” + decodeURIComponent( “1mfpq58C” ); var jwInfo = jwplayer(el).getPlaylistItem(jwplayer(el).getPlaylistIndex()); window.permutive.track(“VideoAdClick”, { play_id: el, //this will stay constant for all of the events emitted during the same video play ad: { duration: Math.round(window.adInfo.duration), creative_name: window.adInfo.adtitle, ad_id: window.adInfo.adId, title: window.adInfo.adtitle, video_type: “instream” //outstream }, video: { duration: Math.round(jwInfo.duration), // in seconds name: jwInfo.title, video_id: decodeURIComponent( “1mfpq58C” ), description: jwInfo.description, published_at: new Date(jwInfo.pubdate).toISOString() }, enriched_data:{ tvchannel: decodeURIComponent( “Us%20Weekly” ), //tv channel name language: “English”, //language of the content type: “video”, keywords: jwInfo.tags.split(“,”), //keywords for the page } }); console.log(“Permutive video ad click”); }).on(‘adTime’, (e) => { var el = decodeURIComponent( “jwplayer_1mfpq58C_zhNYySv2_div” ); var vHash = “ami” + decodeURIComponent( “1mfpq58C” ); var jwInfo = jwplayer(el).getPlaylistItem(jwplayer(el).getPlaylistIndex()); var progress = (e.position/e.duration).toFixed(2); if ( (0.25 >= progress && false === window.adlock_25) || (0.5 >= progress && false === window.adlock_50) || (0.75 >= progress && false === window.adlock_75) || (0.95 >= progress && false === window.adlock_100) ) { window.permutive.track(“VideoAdProgress”, { play_id: el, //this will stay constant for all of the events emitted during the same video play progress: Number(progress), ad: { duration: Math.round(window.adInfo.duration), creative_name: window.adInfo.adtitle, ad_id: window.adInfo.adId, title: window.adInfo.adtitle, video_type: “instream” //outstream }, video: { duration: Math.round(jwInfo.duration), // in seconds name: jwInfo.title, video_id: decodeURIComponent( “1mfpq58C” ), description: jwInfo.description, published_at: new Date(jwInfo.pubdate).toISOString() }, enriched_data:{ tvchannel: decodeURIComponent( “Us%20Weekly” ), //tv channel name language: “English”, //language of the content type: “video”, keywords: jwInfo.tags.split(“,”), //keywords for the page } }); if ( 0.25 >= progress ) { window.adlock_25 = true; } if ( 0.5 >= progress ) { window.adlock_50 = true; } if ( 0.75 >= progress ) { window.adlock_75 = true; } if ( 0.95 >= progress ) { window.adlock_100 = true; } console.log(“Permutive video ad progress ” + progress); } }).setPlaylistItemCallback(function(item, index) { return waitForAmazon // Wait until Amazon is loaded. .then(() => performAsyncBidding( player_jwplayer_1mfpq58C_zhNYySv2_div, item, index ), () => { console.log(“AMI JWP bidding FAILER”); }) // External bidding. .then(tag => { // Update the playlist item. console.log(“AMI jwp new headerbid”, tag); return Object.assign({}, item, { adschedule: [{ tag, offset: “pre” }] }); }).catch(function(e){ console.log(“AMI jwp bidding failed”, e); return item; }); // If bidding fails, use unmodified playlist item. });; clearInterval(checkJWReady); } }, 500); })(); ]]>
Walters not only carved out a path for herself during her many years in the television industry, but also amplified the voices of her fellow female stars with the creation of The View in 1997. After the broadcast journalist founded the Emmy-winning daytime talk show, she cohosted the popular series for close to 20 years, sparring and discussing current events with various iterations of fellow hosts, including Rosie O’Donnell and Whoopi Goldberg.
In May 2013, Walters announced she would be retiring the following year.
“I’ve been thinking about it for a long time and this is what I want to do. … I’m not walking into the sunset. I don’t want to appear on another program,” she told viewers at the time. “I want instead to sit in a sunny field and admire the gifted women and OK, some men, too, who will be taking my place. I’ve had an amazing career beyond anything I could ever have imagined.”
On December 30, 2022, Walters’ publicist confirmed to Variety that the Emmy winner died at age 93.
Keep scrolling to see Walters’ most memorable moments — including her multiple marriages and her incredible career success — through the years:
Credit: Abc News-Tv/Kobal/Shutterstock
Barbara Walters Through the Years: From ’20/20′ Icon to ‘The View’ Creator
A television icon. Barbara Walters spent six decades as a hard-hitting journalist — interviewing everyone from controversial political leaders to some of the world’s most high-profile stars — prior to her retirement in 2014. Walters kicked off her career in the 1960s on the Today show, where she went from working behind the scenes as a producer and writer to making her way in front of the camera as a popular cohost. Her reach only expanded in the following decade when she landed a different cohost position, this time at ABC Evening News — the network that she would call home for the next five decades. The Massachusetts native’s tenure on the news program, coupled with her own Barbara Walters Special, gave her access to (and insight into) public figures ranging from President Richard Nixon and Fidel Castro to Lucille Ball and Fred Astaire. In 1979, Walters landed another career-defining role as the host of ABC’s 20/20, a position she held until 2004. As the television anchor continued to lead the industry with countless celebrity interviews, her own fame grew as well. Her enduring catchphrase — “I’m Barbara Walters, and this is 20/20” — held up so well through the decades that she briefly came out of retirement in order to utter the words on New Year’s Eve 2019. [jwplayer 1mfpq58C-zhNYySv2] Walters not only carved out a path for herself during her many years in the television industry, but also amplified the voices of her fellow female stars with the creation of The View in 1997. After the broadcast journalist founded the Emmy-winning daytime talk show, she cohosted the popular series for close to 20 years, sparring and discussing current events with various iterations of fellow hosts, including Rosie O’Donnell and Whoopi Goldberg. In May 2013, Walters announced she would be retiring the following year. “I’ve been thinking about it for a long time and this is what I want to do. … I’m not walking into the sunset. I don’t want to appear on another program,” she told viewers at the time. “I want instead to sit in a sunny field and admire the gifted women and OK, some men, too, who will be taking my place. I’ve had an amazing career beyond anything I could ever have imagined.” On December 30, 2022, Walters’ publicist confirmed to Variety that the Emmy winner died at age 93. Keep scrolling to see Walters’ most memorable moments — including her multiple marriages and her incredible career success — through the years:
Credit: Dave Pickoff/AP/Shutterstock
1960s
The broadcast journalist began her career on the Today show in the ‘60s, working her way from producer and writer to beloved cohost.
Credit: Smpglobe Photos/Mediapunch/Shutterstock
1960s and ‘70s
Walters — who divorced her first husband, Robert Henry Katz, just under a year after they tied the knot in 1957 — married her second husband, Lee Guber, in 1963. The pair divorced 13 years later.
Credit: Barr/Mediapunch/Shutterstock
1968
Five years before calling it quits, Walters and Guber adopted a daughter, Jacqueline. In 2014, the TV personality revealed that she regretted not spending more time with her only child as she grew up.
“I was so busy with a career. It’s the age-old problem. And, you know, on your deathbed, are you going to say, ‘I wish I spent more time in the office?’ No. You’ll say, ‘I wish I spent more time with my family,’ and I do feel that way,” the journalist admitted in her TV special, Barbara Walters: Her Story. “I wish I had spent more time with my Jackie.”
Credit: Peter Borsari/AP/Shutterstock
1980s
Walters tied the knot with her third husband, TV producer Merv Adelson, twice in the same decade. They first gave marriage a shot from 1981 to 1984, and then again from 1986 to 1992. Despite their second chance at love, the couple was fated to divorce twice.
Credit: YouTube
1980s
Though the ‘80s were a difficult time in Walters’ love life, her career was in full-gear as the high-profile host of 20/20 — a role she quickly became known for and thrived in for decades.
Credit: Doug Sheridan/AP/Shutterstock
1989
Walters’ immense success was recognized with her induction into the Television Hall of Fame in 1989.
Credit: AP/Shutterstock
1993
The following decade saw the iconic reporter launch her annual series, Barbara Walters’ 10 Most Fascinating People, in which she interviewed who she deemed the top 10 public figures every year.
Credit: Ed Bailey/AP/Shutterstock
1997
Four years after the premiere of Walters’ 10 Most Fascinating People, she changed the talk show landscape as fans knew it with the creation of The View. The ABC personality not only founded and produced the long-running daytime show, but cohosted it for nearly 20 years.
Credit: Araldo Di Crollalanza/Shutterstock
2007
Ten years after creating The View, Walters was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Credit: Kristina Bumphrey/Starpix/Shutterstock
2008
The broadcast journalist earned a title only handed out to the most elite: Disney Legend. While she didn’t directly work for The Mouse, her long-standing career at ABC — which is owned by Disney — granted her the honor.
Credit: John Angelillo/UPI/Shutterstock
2014
After six decades in the business, Walters officially retired in 2014 — though she has occasionally made appearances on TV in the years since.
Credit: Charles Sykes/Invision/AP/Shutterstock
2022
The former View cohost died at age 93 on December 30. The news was confirmed to Variety by Walter’s publicist later that day.
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