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2d ago

Barbara Walters: Tell Me Everything Reveals Early Career Hurdles, Cost-Driven Hiring

Archival footage alongside first-hand accounts chart Walters’ ascent from overlooked early roles to a pioneering broadcast career before its Hulu debut June 23.

Barbara Walters at the National Broadcasting Company's studio in New York.
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Overview

  • The documentary premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival on June 12 and is set to stream on Hulu beginning June 23, 2025.
  • Walters discloses she was hired at NBC for her affordability, admitting she “wasn’t beautiful” and “didn’t pronounce [her] Rs” but fit the network’s budget constraints.
  • Colleagues including Cynthia McFadden describe the hostility she faced as ABC World News Tonight’s first female co-anchor in 1976, with Harry Reasoner and much of the male staff ostracizing her.
  • The film highlights Walters’ transformative interview style by showcasing her use of direct, provocative questions to figures such as Vladimir Putin and Martha Stewart.
  • It also examines her personal struggles with self-doubt and a tumultuous marital history as she balanced private challenges with a six-decade journalism career.