Why Barbara Walters Once Grew Tired of Interviewing Celebrities

Many actors had some of their best and most interesting interviews with the late Barbara Walters. But there was a point where the iconic journalist grew discouraged with covering Hollywood stars.

Barbara Walters didn’t want to chase the tabloids anymore

Walters was known for her versatile and in-depth interview coverage. She’d spoken to a variety of different subjects, all ranging from politicians to celebrities, and never shied away from asking hard-hitting questions. But overtime, the 20/20 host grew disillusioned with talking to celebrities. This was because celebrity news became more accessible at the time, which meant Walters had a lot more competition than before.

“It seems to permeate most of the tabloids and the magazines and now you have six or seven entertainment programs,” she once said according to The Hollywood Reporter. “You didn’t used to have that. It’s a different climate now and 20/20 and the other magazines are focused on the big celebrities. I didn’t want to keep doing that, I have been doing it for years.”

Walters also found it ironic that she might’ve helped pioneer mainstream celebrity interviews at a time when others discouraged her from doing so.

“We began to do more and more celebrities and we were criticized,” Walters said. “And now … every program does it.”

According to Walters, audiences were now also more interested in the personal lives of all types of interviewees. This might’ve been a ripple effect caused by celebrity interviews.

“The world has changed and you watch every program now and there are even interviews with heads of state where there is more interest in their personality and their background,” she said.

Barbara Walters once named the types of celebrity interviews she’d prefer to forget

Out of the many celebrities Walters interviewed over the years, the former View host had an easier time working with more seasoned stars. Older entertainers like George Clooney usually had more stories to tell, which made for deeper content.

“Those are the old greats, my friend. And they bring oh so much to the table. A lifetime of art, experience, triumph, tragedy. When I talk to someone like Miley Cyrus, for example, I still respect her, but I treat her differently, because she has so much less of a story to tell,” she once told The Star.

Walters found a lot of newer entertainers being assigned to her in the latter half of her career. Similarly to Cyrus at the time, they were difficult interviews due to their lack of experience.

“A lot of times today, I’m talking to people who have just made their first movie. They may be wonderful actors, but most of the country doesn’t know them and it’s hard to do an in-depth interview with someone who’s only done one picture,” Walters said.

Walters also didn’t care much for gimmicky interviews. The segments she wanted to forget included talking to two movie characters from very well-known brands.

“I absolutely hated the year I had to sit down with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I don’t want to go down in history for doing that one. And the year I talked to Shrek? Please. Let me forget that,” she said.

Barbara Walters called this celebrity her most boring interview

There was one celebrity interview that Walters singled out as her worst one. She once had the opportunity to speak with Warren Beatty, and she described it as a very frustrating interaction.

“It was like pulling teeth. I’d ask him `How are you?’ and he’d say, `That’s a very hard question,’” she said.

Although in an interview with Esquire, Beatty seemed to take offense to Walters’ criticism towards him. He asserted that Walters’ questions at the time were worded in a way that made them difficult to respond to.