Barbra Walters

In a statement posted to social media, Robert Iger, the CEO of the Walt Disney Company, said Walters passed away at her home in New York on Friday.

She was first hired in 1961 by NBC for a short-term writing project on the Today show. However, she did continue to make appearances on TV. “Barbara Walters passed away peacefully in her home surrounded by loved ones.

Barbara Walters, the intrepid interviewer, anchor and program host who led the way as the first woman to become a TV news superstar during a network career ...

It was always going to be a tough 12 months for the House of Windsor. After only a year since its launch, the James Webb Space telescope has released spectacular images of galaxies, stars and planets in ways previous telescopes have taken years to capture. Simon says over the past year, Canadians also witnessed devastating weather events and continued to experience the emotions sparked by the discovery of what are believed to be the unmarked graves of Indigenous children at former residential school sites. 28, 1994 file photo, 'Entertainment Tonight' co-host Mary Hart, left, talks with Barbara Walters during a reception at the Museum of Television and Radio in New York. In this May 7, 1975 file photo, Cuba's leader Fidel Castro, centre right, responds to a question from American NBC reporter Barbara Walters at a news conference granted to members of the U.S. Her two-hour talk with Monica Lewinsky in 1999, timed to the former White House intern's memoir about her affair with President Bill Clinton, drew more than 70 million viewers and is among history's highest-rated television interviews. Comedian Gilda Radner satirized her on the new "Saturday Night Live" as a rhotacistic commentator named "Baba Wawa." Reports failed to note her job duties would be split between the network's entertainment division and ABC News, then mired in third place. By 1976, she had been granted the title of "Today" co-host and was earning $700,000 a year. As she appeared more frequently, she was spared the title of "'Today' Girl" that had been attached to her token female predecessors. During a commercial break, a throng of TV newswomen she had paved the way for -- including Diane Sawyer, Katie Couric, Robin Roberts and Connie Chung -- posed with her for a group portrait. Late in her career, she gave infotainment a new twist with "The View," a live ABC weekday kaffee klatsch with an all-female panel for whom any topic was on the table and who welcomed guests ranging from world leaders to teen idols.

Barbara Walters, the intrepid U.S. interviewer, anchor and program host who led the way as the first woman to become a TV news superstar during a network ...

But she faced a setback in 1971 with the arrival of a new host, Frank McGee. She had the first interview with Rose Kennedy after the assassination of her son, Robert, as well as with Princess Grace of Monaco, President Richard Nixon and many others. By 1976, she had been granted the title of Today co-host and was earning $700,000 US a year. She became a frequent contributor to ABC's newsmagazine 20/20, joining forces with then-host Hugh Downs, and in 1984, she became co-host. As the first female national news anchor, she opened the door to endless possibilities for so many girls who wanted to work in TV, myself included. As Walters appeared more frequently, she was spared the title of Today Girl that had been attached to her token female predecessors. "Harry didn't want a partner," Walters summed up. In 1961, NBC hired her for a short-term writing project on the Today show. For the latter, she donned bunny ears and high heels to work at the Playboy Club. She was a trailblazer not only for female journalists, but for all women," publicist Cindi Berger said in a statement. interviewer, anchor and program host who led the way as the first woman to become a TV news superstar during a network career remarkable for its duration and variety, has died. "I always thought I'd be a writer for television.