Barbara Walters grills Taylor Swift, Oprah in doc trailer on pioneering newswoman
Barbara Walters grills Taylor Swift, Oprah in doc trailer on pioneering newswoman
For nearly five decades, the hottest seat on the publicity circuit was the same – the one across from Barbara Walters.
Now, Walters' brass knuckles interview approach and unrelenting pursuit of a viral sound bite is getting the documentary treatment.
In "Barbara Walters Tell Me Everything," a new project from ABC News Studios and Imagine Documentaries, documentarians take a fine-tooth comb to the newswoman's career, exploring her interviews with Taylor Swift, Oprah Winfrey, the Menendez brothers and others.
A trailer, released May 28, shows Walters asking hard-hitting, sometimes eyebrow-raising questions, as she presses Swift on her dating life, the Kardashian family on their so-called lack of "talent," and Russian leader Vladimir Putin on whether he's ever had anyone killed.
What we know about Barbara Walters, from her notorious pal to the 'SNL' nickname she hated
Inversing the interview equation, the documentary features commentary from some of her most famous subjects, including Winfrey and Bette Midler, along with Disney CEO Bob Iger, who paint a picture of a tenacious and unapologetically nosy woman, who was married to her career at a time when women in the workplace were outnumbered, even more so in a newsroom.
Watch Barbara Walters documentary trailer
The documentary will also stitch together interviews of Walters, who died in 2022, taking an "in her own words" approach to the journalist's personal life and career struggles.
"She didn't just report the news, she made news. She was a true American original – and trailblazer who broke ground for women," a release announcing the trailer said, promising viewers "an intimate and raw look at her astonishing career, personal life, and the challenges she faced trying to balance it all as a woman in a male-dominated industry."
Making its world premiere June 12 at the Tribeca Film Festival, the documentary will be available to stream on Hulu June 23.
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