Barbara Walters’ Dating History: Merv Adelson, Senator Edward Brooke and More

Barbara Walters’ career as a television icon spanned decades — and so did her love life. In addition to making headlines for her countless contributions to TV and breaking barriers for women everywhere, the View creator — who died in December 2022 at age 93 — was also known for her three marriages and active dating life. Walters kicked off her career in the 1950s, a decade during which she also wed for the first time, marrying Robert Henry Katz in 1955 (and divorcing him two years later). As she worked her way through the television journalism rankings, the 20/20 alum tied the knot with theater producer Lee Guber, whom she was married to from 1963 to 1975. In 1968, the couple adopted their daughter, Jacqueline. (Walters also credited friend — and later beau — Roy Cohn with helping the pair with Jackie’s adoption.) Six years after divorcing Katz, the Boston native exchanged vows with her third husband, Lorimar producer Merv Adelson. Though the pair’s first union only lasted from 1981 to 1984, they gave their marriage a second try in 1986. Their relationship was not meant to be, however, and the two split for good in 1992. In addition to her three marriages, Walters had an infamous two-year affair with then-Senator Edward Brooke in the ‘70s, a scandal that she later confessed to in her 2008 memoir, Audition. Their romance not only made headlines for its scandalous nature, but also because they were involved in an interracial affair during a particularly difficult time for race relations in America, Walters wrote in her book. "I had a daughter to think about and a network that would be less than thrilled to see me involved in any kind of scandal. None of that seemed to matter to me,” the late TV anchor penned in her memoir, revealing that the two ultimately ended their romance because it would have ruined their respective careers. Walters went on to date many more prominent men in Washington, including former Chairman of the Federal Reserve Alan Greenspan and former Senator John Warner, who was one of Elizabeth Taylor’s ex-husbands. One A-lister Walters regretted never dating, however, was Clint Eastwood. She interviewed the Escape From Alcatraz actor in 1982, during which “he was very flirtatious, and I was very taken [with him],” she recalled in a 2008 interview with Jimmy Fallon. "He asked me if I wanted to have dinner, and I said, 'No, I have to work.' You know, I don't mix business with pleasure." Though Walters later ran into the Dirty Harry star on the red carpet, she had missed her chance, she told Fallon. “I could’ve been Mrs. Clint Eastwood!” she bemoaned at the time. Keep scrolling for Walters’ extensive dating history through the years: