The View Reunites Star Jones, Meredith Vieira and More Co-Hosts to Honor Barbara Walters

The View is reflecting on the life of an undeniable legend.

After Barbara Walters passed away at the age of 93 on Dec. 30, co-hosts from over the years appeared on the Jan. 3 episode to pay tribute to the daytime talk show's creator.

In addition to current hosts Joy Behar, Whoopi Goldberg, Sunny Hostin, Sara Haines and Alyssa Farah Griffin, former co-host Debbie Matenopoulos joined the roundtable to honor Walters. Plus, Star Jones and Meredith Vieira appeared remotely to share their favorite memories of the legend.

"She very much defied sexism and she defied ageism," Behar—the only original panelist—said. "She went right into the jaws of the lion."

As Behar noted, Walters' decision to create the talk show would set a precedent.

"She started The View when she was 68 years old," Behar continued. "There are very few people who start a new career at that age. And she had no mentors or role models because she was the original role model for everybody else, so we have to give the woman a lot of credit. She was not just a friend to us, but she was really one of a kind and very important to the industry."

Barbara Walters: A Life in Pictures

Walters launched The View in 1997, with the original lineup of herself alongside Vieira, Jones, Matenopoulos and Behar. She stepped away from the roundtable amid her retirement in 2014.

Reflecting on Walters' persona as a "brilliant, iconic journalist," Jones noted there was much more than met the eye.

"She had all the tea," Jones shared. "She was the best gossiper. She knew how to tell tales and just drive the point home. I will miss that more than anything."

But in addition to being a leader, as Matenopoulos said, Walters was also family.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">&quot;She single-handedly changed my life,&quot; former <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TheView?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TheView</a> co-host Debbie Matenopoulos says of Barbara Walters.<br><br>&quot;It was like taking a masterclass in journalism with the most ... well-respected, well-renowned female journalist in history. It was unbelievable.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/cVclFZQmjA">https://t.co/cVclFZQmjA</a> <a href="https://t.co/OdANyCJ0vh">pic.twitter.com/OdANyCJ0vh</a></p>&mdash; The View (@TheView) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheView/status/1610332952965038080?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

"Barbara and I had a relationship that was really, very much mother-daughter, very much so," she said. "I mean, she was tough on me, but I appreciated it because I learned everything from her. She single-handedly changed my life."

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