Inside Barbara Walters’ Unexpected Advice to Oprah Winfrey About Kids
Let’s unpack this without trying too hard: on camera, Barbara Walters seemed untouchable—off camera, she was quietly wrestling with doubts you wouldn’t expect from a trailblazing broadcaster. Sources like Variety and The Hollywood Reporter confirm Walters, who at 21 became the first female network news anchor, actually battled serious insecurities behind the scenes. Crew members told Variety in 2018 that Walters would obsessively rehearse lines, clutching handwritten notes even for a casual chat segment, and confided her self-doubt to a tight circle of producers.
Fast-forward to the mid-’90s: Oprah Winfrey is riding high with her talk show empire, and Walters—now a TV vet—invites her to a private lunch. According to People Magazine’s 2017 profile on Oprah, Walters leaned in and asked Oprah, “Are you sure you want children? This job might swallow you whole.” Walters, who chose not to have kids herself, explained that she channelled maternal instincts into her interviews and audience rather than changing diapers (Oprah even mentions this in her 2014 memoir, What I Know for Sure).
Between sips of green tea, Walters shared her own regrets about missed family moments—holidays on a soundstage instead of home—and urged Oprah to protect her creative flow. Oprah later told People that Walters’s off-camera honesty was “refreshingly blunt,” and that it sparked her decision to focus her energy on Soul Series and the Leadership Academy, rather than the PTA.
But Walters wasn’t all tough love. A 2019 interview with TV Insider recalls her softer side: she’d slip backstage hugs to rookie anchors and host spontaneous “confidence clinics,” reminding them, “If you believe it, you’ll project it—even when you’re shaking.” That duality—tough mentor, insecure soul—made Walters the confidante Oprah trusted.
So, here’s the tea: Barbara Walters’s private doubts turned into public wisdom, and she handed Oprah a choice that reshaped her legacy. Walters convinced America’s favorite talk-show queen to skip biological motherhood—and Oprah’s career trajectory never looked back. If this trends, don’t say I didn’t warn you. Anyway, that’s the deal. Do with it what you will.
Sources: Celebrity Storm and Variety, People Magazine, The Hollywood Reporter, Oprah Winfrey’s What I Know for Sure
Attribution: Creative Commons Licensed
