With the new year 2023 also came the tragic news of Barbara Walters passing away on December 30th, 2022. The American broadcaster and media personality was nothing short of a legend and has left behind quite a legacy indeed. She also had quite a social circle and innumerable fans, many of whom are now paying tribute to the celebrity interviewer. Howard Stern used to be on friendly terms with Walters also and he recently shared anecdotes about the late icon.
Howard Stern and Barbara Walters shared a budding friendship
Barbara Walters and Howard Stern
On January 3, Howard Stern delivered an on-air eulogy for the late Barbara Walters on The Howard Stern Show and reminisced about various moments with the icon. He was close to the former The View co-host. In fact, Walters was one of the esteemed guests at Stern’s wedding to Beth Ostrosky, his second wife.
Talking to his co-host, Robin Quivers, Stern asked, “Did you remember Barbara Walters was at my wedding?” To which Quivers responded, “Yes! She was at my table.” The other big names on that wedding guest table were none other than former President Donald Trump and former First lady Melania Trump, and the late Joan Rivers.
The ‘King Of All Media’ further said in the eulogy:
“I always loved Barbara Walters. I used to watch her on the Today Show when I was a kid. I don’t even know how I even knew Barbara Walters. I know she did the radio show. She came on as a guest and we had a good time. And I think she was willing to loosen up with her image when she decided to start the show The View. In other words, I don’t think she would have come on our radio show when she was like an anchorwoman or when she was on the Today Show.”
Walters was even a guest on The Howard Stern Show and she had quite a breezy humorous exchange on-air with him, but when asked to somewhat return the favor, Stern flatly refused.
Howard Stern laments being a total d*ck to Barbara Walters
Barbara Walters’ The 10 Most Fascinating People
Barbara Walters had created a prestigious TV show, Barbara Walters’ 10 Most Fascinating People to honor a compilation of 10 people from a plethora of fields. And she had obliged the Private Parts star by inviting him to be on the show. But Stern being Stern, he flatly refused and for a self-proclaimed imbecilic reason too.
“[Barbara Walters] called me — I was such a d*** — she called and wanted me to be one a Barbara Walters’ special. It was a big deal. If you were on [the show] it meant you were someone.”
But instead of feeling proud of the honor, the radio host had quite a contrasting response,
“She called up my agent and she said, ‘I named Howard one of the 10 most fascinating people of the [year]’. I said to my agent, ‘You know, that’s kinda weird. Who are the other 9 people?’ Because sometimes it’s like Charo. Sometimes it’s like Honey Boo Boo. So, I had the nerve to tell my agent to ‘please call Barbara Walters and say, ‘No, I don’t want to be on it. If you want to just interview me [then, yes]. But I don’t want to be on it with 9 other people’. I think I’m all 10 most fascinating people. Of course, she told me to go f*** myself, more or less. But in the nicest of ways.”
