Barbara Walters Will Not Retire in the Gossip Pages
Declaring that "the paparazzi guys... will be the last to know" about her retirement, legendary journalist Barbara Walters turned her non-denial denial of rumors about her retirement into a dismissal of rumors in general on The View Monday: "There were many reports last week saying that I was retiring from ABC and there was an assumption that I would be making an an announcement today," Walters said. "However, here I am, and I have no announcement to make."
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None of that was exactly a flat-out "no" when it came to addressing last week's reports that she planned to cap a 52-year broadcast career in May of 2014 — reports that stemmed from the likes of Deadline Hollywood and New York Times's daytime television ace Brian Stelter. Considering she just had the chicken pox at 83 years old and underwent aortic valve replacement in 2010, it wouldn't exactly be that shocking if the ABC News veteran wanted to retire. But it also wouldn't be shocking is if Walters parlayed this publicity into View viewership. And she did just that today, promising an exclusive confirmation that will only happen on the television show she created. "If and when I might have an announcement to make, I will do it on this program, I promise, and the paparazzi guys — you will be the last to know," Walters added.
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So take that, New York Times and Deadline — and watch the full clip from, you guessed it, The View:
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