Diane Sawyer Reportedly Ghosts Barbara Walters Tribute After Years of Feud Rumors

Barbara Walters’ retirement tribute brought out the best in journalism. But her longtime ABC colleague and reported rival Diane Sawyer was nowhere to be found.

A new documentary provided insight into how icy Walters could be toward Sawyer, a journalist she once praised.

“Diane wanted nothing to do with it,” an ABC insider confirms of Hulu’s documentary Barbara Walters: Tell Me Everything, per a report. “She and Barbara had one of the iciest rivalries in TV news. Sub-zero, baby.”

The documentary chronicled how tense things between the two women were, even fighting for interviews with Walters reportedly working behind the scenes to steal big names Sawyer already booked on 20/20. “Barbara thought Diane was calculating,” said a former producer. “Diane thought Barbara wouldn’t pass the torch.”

Producers begged Sawyer to participate, the report notes of the tribute, even offering final approval. But she reportedly didn’t respond. “She didn’t decline. She just vanished,” a source said. “It was a statement…They were legends,” a network vet added. “But they were never friends.”

The root of the tension? Multiple people in the documentary say Walters was simply jealous that Sawyer was on the rise and felt threatened. Several people recalled Walters’ behavior toward Sawyer, and even Sawyer herself. But Sawyer says she always respected Walters and wished things could have been different.

Sawyer didn’t participate in the documentary, but previous commentary she made about Walters was spread throughout. The film’s director spoke with The Hollywood Reporter about Sawyer’s absence. 

“We wanted to find out if she wanted to participate, but I understand that perhaps she didn’t,” Jackie Jesto explained. She also delved into her idea about Sawyer and Walters’ relationship, as compared to other women in media that Walters worked with and mentored.

“Barbara would say it wasn’t a feud,” she explained. “A lot of the women in the film, Cynthia McFadden, certainly Katie Couric, Connie Chung, felt like Barbara was really great to them and defended them at different times in their career. I think perhaps it’s not a monolithic answer; relationships are individual.”