Barbara Walters was on Ellen today, and the first part of the segment was interesting enough, but after the break she conducted the interview like one of her own, talking in her boring low-tone voice about her book and droning on about her life while Ellen sat there looking a bit uncomfortable. At one point Barbara made a reference to a section of the book that she seemed to know Ellen had not read yet and said something like “once you get past Fidel Castro…”
At the end of interview, Ellen tried to make a nice comment about Walters’ NY apartment, saying it was filled with photos of her with all the amazing people she’d interviewed. Ellen then said the book was fascinating, and Barbara concluded in a condescending way:
“Can I say that I love you whether you ever read my book or not. You’ve always been so good to me. I think you’re so cute.”
Ellen answered graciously “Well thank you, I have read it, and I love you too. Thank you so much.”
It just seemed rude and arrogant for Barbara to point out that Ellen hadn’t read the book yet, as if she has to read the entire book of every single author that comes on her show before she can conduct an interview. It was like she was establishing that she’s the seasoned interviewer and Ellen needed to be taken to task for not doing enough preparation. Ellen couldn’t get a word in edgewise anyway.
Maybe Barbara reads every book of every one of her interview subjects cover to cover, but Ellen has less time to prepare and she has to interview handfuls of people every week. She has a different type of show which usually relies on humor and jokes to keep it fun, something that Barbara was almost completely unable to adapt to.
Barbara Walter’s autobiography, Audition, has been out for a week and is now number one on the USA Today bestseller’s list.
Header image is from 5/13/08, thanks to WENN.
Barbara Walters on Ellen, Part 1. Says she doesn’t know how to drive.
Barbara Walters on Ellen, Part 2, the “I love you whether you ever read my book” starts at around 4:30 in.
It appears as though BW, perhaps due to her maturity, doesn’t give a rat’s a$$ anymore and speaks her mind without a care in the world. She clearly doesn’t care about her reputation.She is probably a very sad and lonely person.
i think shes a vile old cow
When I think of Barbara W I always remember this awesome film “Network”. She reminds me of Faye Dunaway’s character so much!
I think she needs the press and she is desperate at this point. She needs to leave Ellen alone. Ellen has more class than Barbara ever did!
Barbara Walter’s life was influenced greatly by her older sister and she’s written a beautiful memoir about her life. I read another memoir of a life influence by a sibling that I recommend highly – I actually liked it even more. The memoir is “”My Stroke of Insight”” by Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor. Dr Taylor became a Harvard brain scientist to find the cause and cure for schizophrenia because her older brother was a sufferer. Then, crazy as life can be, Dr. Taylor had a stroke at age 37. What was amazing was that her left brain was shut down by the stroke – where language and thinking occur – but her right brain was fully functioning. She experienced bliss and nirvana and the way she writes about it (or talks about it in her now famous TED talk) is incredible.
What I took away from Dr. Taylor’s book above all, and why I recommend it so highly, is that you don’t have to have a stroke or take drugs to find the deep inner peace that she talks about. Her book explains how. “”I want what she’s having””, and thanks to this wonderful book, I can!