Diane Sawyer Reportedly Didn’t Bury Hatchet With Barbara Walters Over Vicious Professional Feud

Diane Sawyer remembered Barbara Walters as a “trailblazer” who inspired generations of women in television journalism, but a source claims the two never set aside their differences. Sawyer, 77, and Walters were at ABC News at the same time, and reportedly had a rivalry when it came to securing big interviews. Walters died on Dec. 30 at 93.

Sawyer wanted to meet Walters in the days before Walters’ death, but an insider told Radar Online the meeting never took place. “Diane feels terrible about how she feuded with Barbara when both were at ABC News,” the insider said. “There was a lot of backstabbing and name-calling between them.” The source claimed that Sawyer hoped to tell Walters she “always loved and respected her, even though she didn’t show it.”

Over the years, there have been several reports that Sawyer and Walters competed against each other during their time at ABC News. Sawyer joined the network in 1989 to co-anchor the Primetime Live news magazine with Sam Donaldson. She also co-anchored 20/20 with Walters on Sundays. While Walters was on The View, Sawyer co-anchored Good Morning America. Sawyer also anchored ABC World News from December 2009 until September 2014, the same year Walters retired from The View.

During a December 2020 episode of Los Angeles Magazine‘s The Originals podcast, Connie Chung described how disappointed she was to see Walters and Sawyers’ working relationship. “When I got to ABC, both Dianne and Barbara were in the same sort of arena of trying to get these big interviews,” Chung said.”So when I tried to go after them, I was told I could not, that Barbara and Dianne were the only ones who could compete for the interview, and I had to stand down. I said, ‘Really?’” Chung went on to suggest that what Walters and Sawyer did to her was “not unlike what Tonya Harding did to Nancy Kerrigan.”

Walters disputed Chung’s comments through a representative. “Barbara paved the way for every female journalist that came after her. She has been a tremendous supporter for all women,” Walters’ rep told TMZ. Sawyer and ABC News never responded to Chung’s interview.

Sawyer participated in ABC’s Our Barbara: A Special Edition of 20/20, which aired on Sunday and is available on Hulu. She also released a statement to ABC News, recalling her time with Walters.

“Barbara was a trailblazer, a singular force who opened the door for every woman in television news,” Sawyer said. “She was also the history maker right down the hall — my friend and road buddy, eager to talk about the news world, the decades of passionate work — the curiosity and laughter that gets us all through. Sadness. Gratitude. And a salute from all of us who know what we owe her.”