How Barbara Walters Impacted The Culture, From That Mike Tyson And Robin Givens Interview To Creating 'The View'

Among her other accomplishments, Walters made a name for herself by conducting exclusive interviews with many of the most powerful and often controversial world leaders, from Fidel Castro to Vladimir Putin. For example, in 1977, when Egyptian President Anwar Sadat became the first Arab leader to visit Israel, he and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin agreed to sit for a joint interview “for the sake of our friend Barbara,” Begin said, according to The Hill. In 1989, Walters flew to Tripoli to interview Libyan President Moammar Gadhafi, who positioned himself as a leader within the Middle East and Africa (he was a longtime proponent of a “United States of Africa”) and a constant adversary of the United States. In addition to foreign leaders, Walters had interviewed every American president since Richard Nixon, including Donald Trump and Joe Biden before they began their terms. The last sitting president Walters interviewed was Barack Obama; she talked to him and former first lady Michelle Obama numerous times during his presidency.

In addition to her hard-hitting journalism, Walters also built her brand by conducting insightful, sometimes uncomfortable and often emotional interviews with celebrities of the time.

In 1978, she sat down with Muhammad Ali in a wide-ranging conversation about his faith, family and what would be his last comeback as heavyweight champion.

She interviewed Michael Jackson shortly after the death of Princess Diana and a few years following his child molestation accusations.

Over her decades of sitting down with the rich and powerful, perhaps Walters’ most infamous interview was her 1988 interview with Mike Tyson and then-wife Robin Givens. Walters asked them about allegations that Tyson physically abused his wife and, though uncomfortable and controversial, the conversation drew attention to issues of domestic violence and mental illness in a very public way. Tyson and Givens split shortly after the discussion with Walters.

While digging into the personal lives of various celebrities and politicians, Walters’ love life was also the source of tabloid fodder over the years. In addition to marrying four times to three different men, Walters had relationships with influential and famous figures, including actor Clint Eastwood, Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan and Virginia Sen. John Warner. But her most scandalous relationship was a two-year affair that she conducted with Massachusetts Sen. Edward Brooke, the first Black person ever elected to the U.S. Senate. Though Walters was divorced when they started seeing one another, Brooke was married, and his wife nearly outed the affair to the National Enquirer, according to Walters’ 2008 memoir Audition, the New York Daily News reports. Their adulterous interracial relationship, Walters reflected, nearly cost both her and Brooke their careers.

For many, Walters is most famous for creating and hosting The View, a woman-centric daytime talk show that has covered hot topics for the past 25 years. At its inception in 1997, The View sought to give a platform to women from different walks of life. Along the way, multiple Black women rose to prominence or experienced newfound success on The View, including Star Jones, Sherri Shepherd, Raven-Symoné and Whoopi Goldberg, who has hosted and moderated the show since 2007.

On Tuesday, Goldberg, who Walters first interviewed as a young actress in 1991, led The View’s tribute to Walters.

#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

The View has also inspired multiple similar shows, such as The Talk and The Real, which have given voice to hosts like Sheryl Underwood, Tamera Mowry, Tamar Braxton and many more. All of this shows how, directly or indirectly, Barbara Walters impacted and continues to influence Black culture in America.