‘The View’ Fans Share Tributes, Concerns for Barbara Walters on 93rd Birthday

Barbara Walters
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Legendary broadcast journalist and television personality Barbara Walters celebrated her 93rd birthday on September 25, and on Monday’s episode of The View, Whoopi Goldberg wished a belated happy birthday to the woman who created the long-running ABC talk show.

“To the one and only Barbara Walters, who had a birthday yesterday, we wanna say, 27 never looked so good,” said Goldberg as a photo of Walters appeared on the screen. The show’s official Twitter account also tweeted a message honoring the iconic host, who has been off the grid for the past six years, with her last public appearance being the New York premiere of Woody Allen’s 2016 film Cafe Society.

The tweet inspired fans to share their birthday messages and well wishes with the beloved presenter. “Happy Birthday to a trailblazer,” tweeted one viewer, while another wrote, “Happy 93rd birthday Barbara Walters. Thank you for all you’ve done to encourage women to follow their dreams.”

However, the tweet also had some wondering what Walters has been up to for the past six years. “No shade but Is Barbara still alive I feel I never hear about her,” wrote one Twitter commenter. “I’m wondering the same thing. Haven’t seen her sense [sic] 2017 I believe,” added another.

“What IS happening with Barbara?! We haven’t had news for ages,” tweeted another fan.

Walters created, produced, and co-hosted The View, on which she appeared from 1997 until her retirement in 2014. Before that, she began her career on The Today Show in the early 1960s, working as a writer and segment producer of women’s interest stories. Her popularity soon grew with viewers, and in 1974, she became the show’s co-host, the first woman to hold such a title on an American news program.

Back in 2020, Jenny McCarthy, who used to host The View alongside Walters, told Us Weekly, “I heard that [Walters] is in a place of not doing great, and I just talked to Sherri Shepherd about it and we’re sending some cards over to her. That woman is a juggernaut that’ll just keep going no matter what.”

However, Walters’ rep shot down McCarthy’s allegations, stating, “I see her every two to three weeks and she’s doing just fine.”

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