Barbara Walters Reportedly Doesn’t Remember ‘View’ Hosts

Barbara Walters reportedly does not remember the hosts of The View who have reached out to her as claims of dementia and frail health have taken their toll on the legendary journalist.

In a stunning report published by Radar Online, it was revealed that a source close to the journalist claimed to the gossip news site that the women from The View have reached out to Walters, who first conceived the idea of a talk show where women from different walks of life would come together and discuss the current events of the day.

The source added that The View ladies have reached out to their former boss, including Joy Behar and Whoopi Goldberg, but she has not been able to recognize them, reported Radar Online.

The Radar source claimed, “On good days, Barbara can distinguish Joy Behar’s voice [when she calls], but on a bad day, she might just hang up!” The same source also remarked that Walters was not able to recognize series moderator Whoopi Goldberg when she visited the former talk titan at her home overlooking Central Park in New York City.

Reportedly, per the Radar story, Walters was unable to recognize Goldberg, and her visit “sent the one-time media powerhouse into a screaming fit.” Goldberg has held the position of series moderator for 11 seasons, from 2007 through today.

Ailing Barbara Walters has been spending her final days in a tragic prison of pain. https://t.co/ldZ9jK7gYC

— Radar Online (@radar_online) August 7, 2019

Walters championed both Behar and Goldberg in their starts on the popular ABC daytime talk series. She pushed for Behar to join the series after attending a charity event for the late Milton Berle and seeing Behar work the crowd into hysterics. Although she had never hosted on a talk show before, Walters saw Behar as a perfect foil to the other women on the show’s original panel, which included Meredith Vieira, Star Jones and Debbie Matenopoulos.

Behar reportedly had no idea how much Walters had enjoyed her set and only found out later that the newswoman liked her routine. Months after seeing Behar’s set, ABC asked her to try out for The View. She is the sole original panelist from the show’s premiere episode.

The most surprising cast member of The View came in the form of Whoopi Goldberg in the position of moderator. Walters felt the comedian and actress would be a great fit for the series after the veteran journalist called her “perfect” for the job, per The New York Times. Throughout the series’ run and prior to her taking a full-time role on the show, The View producers regarded Goldberg as a go-to guest, reported The Times, holding her own during the show’s “Hot Topics” segment at the beginning of the show and providing comic relief when needed.

The View airs weekdays on ABC. Its current panel includes Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Meghan McCain, Sunny Hostin, Abby Huntsman and Ana Navarro.