Barbara Walters Announces Retirement: I Hope I Inspired Women

Barbara Walters Retirement — Courtesy Of ABC

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So sad. Barbara Walter announced on ‘The View’ on May 13 that she’ll be retiring in 2014, bringing her 53-year career to a close.

After 37 years with ABC News, Barbara Walters, 83, made the heartbreaking announcement that she’ll be leaving TV journalism next summer. On the May 13 episode of The View, Barbara did her best to hold back tears as she broke the news to the world.

Barbara Walters Announces Retirement On ‘The View’

“Well, after all the speculation and the rumors and so forth last month, I promised you that if I had anything to announce about my future plans, you’d hear it here first,” Barbara said as she started the episode.

After a deafening applause and a standing ovation from the audience, Barbara continued:

“I have been on television continuously for over 50 years, but in the summer of 2014, a year from now, I plan to retire from appearing on television at all — it has been an absolutely joyful, rewarding, challenging, fascinating and occasionally bumpy ride. I wouldn’t change a thing. I’m perfectly healthy, this is my decision, and I have been thinking about it for a long time. This is what i want to do. I will, however, continue as co-executive producer of The View with Bill Getty as long as the program is here. There will be special occasions that I will come back — I’m not walking into the sunset, but I don’t want to appear on another program, I don’t want to climb another mountain. I want instead to sit on a very sunny field and admire other women who will be taking my place and most of all, I want to thank everybody here. I’ve had an amazing career beyond anything I could ever imagined. And I hope I may inspire other women to make television. I smile when some young women say I grew up watching you on TV — it’s their time now. But remember, I have a whole year to go. We have exciting things planned for ABC News and The View and most of all, I want to say hi to all of you who have been watching me for so many years and you have traveled the same road that I have. I thank you, thank you, thank you.”

Barbara Walters Uses Twitter To Break The News

Barbara first confirmed the news with a late night tweet on May 12. She said, “Big news – and I want to tell you first. (Looking forward to one more great year!)”

“I am very happy with my decision and look forward to a wonderful and special year ahead both on ‘The View’ and with ABC News,” Barbara said in a statement to ABC, linked in her tweet. “I created ‘The View’ and am delighted it will last beyond my leaving it.”

And don’t expect Barbara to pull an Oprah and create her own network. “I do not want to appear on another program or climb another mountain. I want instead to sit on a sunny field and admire the very gifted women — and OK, some men too — who will be taking my place,” she said.

“There’s only one Barbara Walters,” says ABC News President Ben Sherwood. “And we look forward to making her final year on television as remarkable, path-breaking and news-making as Barbara herself. Barbara will always have a home at ABC News and we look forward to a year befitting her brilliant career, filled with exclusive interviews, great adventures and indelible memories.”

Barbara Walters Makes History With Her Astonishing Career

Barbara became the first woman to co-host a news program when she joined Today in 1974 and she became the first co-anchor of a network evening news program when she joined ABC Evening News in 1976. Barbara also anchored ABC’s 20/20 for 20 years. Plus, she’s hosted and executive produced The View since it premiered on August 11, 1997.

While she’s retiring, Barbara will continue to executive produce The View.

What do YOU think, HollywoodLifers? Should Barbara be retiring?