Oprah Winfrey reveals how Barbara Walters played a role in her decision to never have kids
Share this @internewscast.com

Oprah Winfrey openly shared how observing Barbara Walters’ interaction with her daughter, Jacqueline Dena Guber, influenced her decision not to have children.

“I remember Barbara saying to me, ‘There’s nothing more rewarding than having children,’ and advised me to seriously consider it,” the media icon recalled in the new documentary “Barbara Walters Tell Me Everything,” which debuted Thursday night at the Tribeca Festival.

“But I thought, ‘OK, yet I’m watching you, so, no,'” she continued, describing the relationship Walters had with her adopted daughter as “charged” and “complex.”

She added, “And I can see why. It’s one of the reasons why I never had children.”

In the spotlight documentary, Walters’ fraught relationship with Jacqueline — whom she adopted with ex-husband Lee Guber in 1968 — is explored through the late journalist’s lens in her own words and through archival footage.

The media pioneer’s ambition and dedication to her career became a hardship for Jacqueline throughout her childhood, which left Walters feeling “guilty.”

“I didn’t realize how tough it was, because she had a mother who was a celebrity,” Walters explained, via a voiceover, in the doc. “We struggled through schools. And then finally, at one point, when she was 16, I guess, she ran away.”

Walters’ former ABC colleague and friend Cynthia McFadden clarified that “Jackie had a father” and a governess, “so it wasn’t that Jackie was left alone on a playpen” while Walters focused on building her career.

Still, “Barbara articulated many times that she’d made mistakes as a mother.”

Walters, who died at age 93 in 2022, and her daughter attempted to work on their relationship once Jacqueline reached adulthood. However, their connection remained fragile for years.

“As she got older, I think Barbara felt that the relationship was shaky. She didn’t tell me enough of the facts to make me understand why she felt that way, but it seemed to me that she felt that she and Jackie had fallen out again,” McFadden shared.

Winfrey, meanwhile, has remained steadfast in her decision to not have children. In 2017, the former talk show host said she doesn’t regret her choice to stay childless, telling Good Housekeeping UK that she felt that her motherhood transcended the traditional biological definition of the term.

“When people were pressuring me to get married and have children, I knew I was not going to be a person that ever regretted not having them because I feel like I am a mother to the world’s children,” Winfrey, 71, explained.

“Love knows no boundaries. It doesn’t matter if a child came from your womb or if you found that person at age 1, 10 or 20. If the love is real, the caring is pure and it comes from a good space, it works.”

“Barbara Walters Tell Me Everything” will be available for streaming on Hulu starting June 23.

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like
Netanyahu calls on Iranian citizens to seize 'opportunity' for regime change

Netanyahu Urges Iranian People to Embrace ‘Chance’ for Government Overhaul

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Just hours after Israel…
Feel-Good Friday: The Young Lead Us in Honoring Our Forefathers Through Restoration of  Veterans' Graves

Feel-Good Friday: Youth Take the Lead in Honoring Our Ancestors by Restoring Veterans’ Graves

This week’s Feel-Good Friday pays tribute to Father’s Day and Flag Day…
Longest-serving legislative leader in US history given 7 1/2 years in federal corruption case

Longest-Serving US Legislative Leader Receives 7.5-Year Sentence in Federal Corruption Case

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Michael Madigan’s remarkable political…
David Beckham offers olive branch to son Brooklyn as family feud intensifies

David Beckham Extends Peace Offering to Son Brooklyn Amid Growing Family Dispute

Knighthood has apparently put Sir David Beckham in the mood to forgive.…
4 detainees have escaped from an immigration detention center in Newark, New Jersey, DHS says

Four inmates have broken out from an immigration detention facility in Newark, New Jersey, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

Four detainees managed to break through a wall and escape from a…
KFYW10 A Eurofighter Typhoon twin-engine fighter jet of the Royal Air Force at RAF Fairford.

RAF Jets on Alert for Deployment to Middle East Amid Growing Israel-Iran Tensions and Threats to UK Bases

According to Sir Keir Starmer, British fighter jets are being dispatched to…
2 Minnesota lawmakers shot and in grave condition after apparent 'targeted' incident: Officials

Two Minnesota Legislators Critically Injured in Suspected ‘Targeted’ Shooting: Authorities

MINNESOTA — Two state lawmakers were shot in an apparent “targeted” incident…
Anti-Trump military parade demonstrations put major cities across America on high alert

Protests Against Trump’s Military Parade Heighten Security in Major U.S. Cities

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! A nationwide series of…
Old Glory - From Battlefield Utility to Symbol of Sacrifice

Old Glory: From Wartime Tool to Emblem of Sacrifice

The American flag wasn’t created in celebration but out of necessity. When…
'No Kings Day' protests in Chicago, suburbs today: Rallies against ICE raids, Trump's military parade in DC for Army's 250th

Chicago and Suburbs Host ‘No Kings Day’ Protests Today: Demonstrations Oppose ICE Raids and Trump’s Military Parade in DC for Army’s 250th Anniversary

CHICAGO (WLS) — As the military parade in D.C. takes place, the…
Political violence is threaded through recent US history. The motives and justifications vary

Political Violence: A Recurring Theme in Recent US History with Diverse Motives and Justifications

The murder of a Democratic Minnesota state lawmaker and her spouse, along…
Violent anti-Trump protesters force LAPD to take action as peaceful day turns chaotic

LAPD Intervenes as Violent Anti-Trump Protests Disrupt Peaceful Demonstration

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Just hours after thousands…