Barbara Walters Officially Announces Retirement on The View
Barbara Walters has made her retirement announcement official.
The 83-year-old veteran journalist began Tuesday’s The View reconfirming what she had revealed to ABC News one day earlier.
Following a self-narrated retrospective of her career, Walters incredulously told the studio audience and viewers at home, “I have been on TV continuously for over 50 years!”
Walters then explained, “In the summer of 2014, a year from now, I plan to retire from appearing on television at all. It’s been an absolute joyful, rewarding, challenging, fascinating and, occasionally bumpy, ride. I wouldn’t change a thing.”
She was quick to note that she is “perfectly healthy” and this is “my decision.”
Walters added that she will continue to to coexecutive produce The View with Bill Geddie “as long as the program is aired” and stated she will come back to visit from time-to-time.
“I’m not walking into the sunset, but I don’t want to appear on another program, climb another mountain,” she said. “I want to instead sit in a sunny field and admire the very gifted women—and OK, some men too—who will be taking my place, and most of all, I want to thank everybody here.”
Walters concluded by saying, “I’ve had an amazing career beyond anything I could have ever imagined and I hope that I may have also inspired other women to make television, in front or behind the camera, a career.”