Barbara Walters worked in broadcast for more than 50 years, and two months after retiring from ABC News, the network's executives have made it challenging for her to make live appearances.
ABC execs reportedly kept the legendary newswoman from appearing live on "The View," the talk show she co-created in 1997, when it returned for season 18 on Sept. 15, according to Page Six. She, instead, taped a pre-recorded video with panel hosts Whoopi Goldberg, Rosie O'Donnell, Rosie Perez and Nicolle Wallace kissing Walters' hand as she sat on a throne wearing a crown.
Walters, still an executive producer for the morning show, denied the claims that she wanted to appear on-air.
"How silly! I deliberately taped a piece at the top, gave it my blessing, and now they're off to the races," she told Page Six.
She also didn't want to take any attention away from new hosts Perez and Wallace, as well as returning hosts, such as O'Donnell. Walters is "very savvy about TV and knows that if she was a live guest, all the headlines would be about that and not the new hosts," another source told Page Six.
NBC's "Today" also asked Walters to return for the show's "Homecoming Week" to make a special appearance as a co-host for the 7 o'clock hour with Matt Lauer. She began her broadcast career on the morning show in 1962 until ABC hired her as co-anchor for its evening news program in 1976.
"They [NBC] asked Barbara, and she in turn asked ABC. There was a brief conversation, and ultimately she decided not to do it, because she wants to be loyal to ABC and not appear on the competition," a source told Page Six.
In addition to host changes, "The View" parted ways with its other co-creator and Walters' business partner, Bill Geddie. They hired Bill Wolff, the former vice president of prime-time programming for MSNBC, moved studio locations and redesigned the set and logo.
Walters sold 50 percent of her stake in the talk show for an undisclosed amount in the last year, according to The Daily Beast.
