Brutal Reason Diane Sawyer Ghosted Barbara Walters Tribute Revealed — 'They Just Couldn't Stand Each Other!'
The brutal reason Diane Sawyer ghosted the Barbara Walters tribute has been revealed ahead of the premiere.
June 3 2025, Published 1:23 p.m. ET
The brutal reason Diane Sawyer ghosted the Barbara Walters tribute has been revealed.
RadarOnline.com can report how in Hulu’s new special, Barbara Walters: Tell Me Everything, the late journalist's iconic career was honored by some of the biggest stars in Hollywood, including Andy Cohen, Oprah Winfrey and Kate Couric – but Sawyer's message was loud and clear.
Diane's Snub
Walters thought Sawyer was 'calculating.'
According to Hollywood insider Rob Shuter, who writes on Substack: "Diane wanted nothing to do with it. She and Barbara had one of the iciest rivalries in TV news. Sub-zero, baby."
A former producer added: "Barbara thought Diane was calculating. Diane thought Barbara wouldn’t pass the torch."
Both Sawyer and Walters held some of the most iconic interviews in Hollywood, but their rivalry was always overshadowing their work.
A network vet told Shuter: "They were legends. But they were never friends.”
Their History
The two legends first met back in 1972 on Richard Nixon's press tour of China.
The two legends first met back in 1972 on Richard Nixon's press tour of China when Sawyer was Nixon's assistant press secretary.
In a book by Susan Page, The Rulebreaker: The Life and Times of Barbara Walters, the author shared a deeper look inside the ladies' historic feud.
According to the author, Walters "couldn't resist the comparison, the competition, not from the very start, not later at the height of her career, not ever."
At the time, Walters believed Sawyer, who was 16 years younger and a former beauty queen, "had it easy" when she went from working for Nixon to becoming the first female reporter for 60 Minutes.
Walters had to battle it out more to earn her spot in front of the camera.
Meanwhile, Walters had to battle it out more to earn her spot in front of the camera.
Page wrote in the book: "If someone had built to order the woman most likely to set off Barbara Walters, she would have looked a lot like Diane Sawyer."
When Walters was on 20/20, Sawyer was hired by ABC to host Primetime Live.
At first, Walters said it was "terrific" before she called the ABC executive who broke the news to her about 30 minutes later and said: "Now I've thought it over, I'm totally opposed to her."
Since then, the two ladies have had one of the most iconic feuds at the network.
Connie's Bombshell
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Chung previously opened up about the past rivalry with her fellow news anchors at ABC.
Back in 2020, Connie Chung appeared on an episode of Los Angeles Magazine's The Originals podcast and opened up about the past rivalry with her fellow news anchors at ABC News' 20/20 when she worked there as a reporter and co-host for the program between 1998 and 2000.
She said: "When I went to ABC News, I joined with both Barbara Walters and Diane Sawyer there, and I thought, 'Oh, this is gonna be great. It'll be three women who get along.' I was so naïve and stupid.
"When I got to ABC, both Dianne and Barbara were in the same sort of arena of trying to get these big interviews. So when I tried to go after them, I was told I could not, that Barbara and Dianne were the only ones who could compete for the interview, and I had to stand down. I said, 'Really?'"
Chung added of the dynamic behind-the-scenes: "I was always playing a game of Whack-a-Mole. I popped my head up, and one of them would have a hammer and go whack and put me down back in my little hole."
