Oprah Winfrey reveals Barbara Walters was ‘one of the reasons’ she did not have children

Oprah Winfrey revealed that the late Barbara Walters had contributed to her decision to not have children of her own. 

The TV personality, 71 – who recently showed off her thinner frame at the 2025 Tony Awards – commented on the topic in the upcoming Hulu documentary Barbara Walters Tell Me Everything, per The Daily Beast. 

Walters – who passed away at the age of 93 in 2022 – adopted a daughter named Jacqueline in 1968 with her second husband Lee Guber. 

However, Barbara notably had a rocky relationship with Jacqueline and at one point, her daughter had run away from home when she was a teenager for a month.

Winfrey recalled how the media mogul had actually encouraged her to have kids and stated, ‘I remember her telling me once that there’s nothing more fulfilling than having children, and “You should really think about it.”

‘And I was like, “Okay, but I’m looking at you, so, no,”‘ the former talk show host continued. 

Oprah Winfrey, 71, revealed that the late Barbara Walters had contributed to her decision to not have children of her own; seen in 2024 in L.A. 

Winfrey recalled how the media mogul had actually encouraged her to have kids and stated, ‘I remember her telling me once that there’s nothing more fulfilling than having children, and “You should really think about it”‘; seen in 1999 

Oprah also described Barbara’s relationship with her daughter as both ‘complex’ and ‘charged’ – adding that it was ‘one of the reasons why I never had children.’ 

Walters was known for her groundbreaking career in journalism – which began in the 1960s when she became staff for the Today show. 

In 1974, she became co-host of the the program, and was the first woman to do so for a news show in America. 

Barbara also interviewed a number of celebrities and public figures throughout her career such as former U.S. presidents, Fidel Castro, Monica Lewinsky, Katherine Hepburn and Barbra Streisand. 

Winfrey also explained that she understood Barbara’s drive when it came to her career, and touched on the subject of needing to make sacrifices when it comes to both work and parenting.

‘You are a pioneer in your field and you are trying to break the mold, for yourself and for women who are going to follow you,’ she said. ‘Something’s going to have to give for that. 

‘And that is why I did not have children. I knew I could not do both well. Both are sacrifices. Sacrifice to do the work and it’s also sacrifice to be the mother and to say, “No, let somebody else have that.”‘ 

Oprah continued, ‘At no time have I ever heard a story, read a story, and based on what I know of Barbara Walters – at no time has Barbara Walters ever said, “No let someone else take that story.”‘ 

‘And I was like, “Okay, but I’m looking at you, so, no,”‘ the former talk show host continued; the pair seen in 1994 in NYC

Oprah also described Barbara’s relationship with her daughter as both ‘complex’ and ‘charged’ – adding that it was ‘one of the reasons why I never had children; Walters and daughter seen in 1990 in L.A. 

‘You are a pioneer in your field and you are trying to break the mold, for yourself and for women who are going to follow you,’ she said. ‘Something’s going to have to give for that’; Walters seen in 1976 

Winfrey and Walters had developed a close friendship amid their thriving careers, and the TV personality paid tribute to Barbara following her passing in 2022. 

‘Without Barbara Walters there wouldn’t have been me – nor any other woman you see on evening, morning, and daily news,’ the star expressed. 

‘She was indeed a Trailblazer. I did my very first television audition with her in mind the whole time.’

Oprah also shared, ‘Grateful that she was such a powerful and gracious role model. Grateful to have known her. Grateful to have followed in her Light.’ 

The talk show host has previously opened up about not having kids and also not getting married. 

She has been in a relationship with Stedman Graham since 1986, but the couple never tied the knot. 

‘I have not had one regret about that,’ Oprah said in regards to not becoming a mom during an interview with People. 

She also said, ‘Doing the Oprah show allowed me to see the depth of responsibility and sacrifice that is actually required to be a mother. 

Winfrey and Walters had developed a close friendship amid their thriving careers, and the TV personality paid tribute to Barbara following her passing in 2022

‘I have not had one regret about that,’ Oprah said in regards to not becoming a mom during an interview with People; seen with partner Stedman Graham in 1990 

‘I realized, “Whoa, I’m talking to a lot of messed-up people, and they are messed up because they had mothers and fathers who were not aware of how serious that job is.”‘ 

In the documentary, Walters could be heard saying, ‘I was in my 30s when Jackie was born.

‘My daughter’s a blessing. My world came together. I mean, I was already on the Today show, and I’d had three miscarriages, and now I had everything.’ 

But as Jacqueline grew older, their relationship became strained while her daughter also became involved with drugs. 

Barbara admitted to feeling ‘guilty’ when it came to her only child and also stated, ‘I didn’t realize how tough it was, because she had a mother who was a celebrity.’

She added, ‘We struggled through schools. And then finally, at one point, when she was 16, I guess, she ran away.’ 

At one point in the ABC News Studios documentary, Barbara also revealed that her daughter had taken ‘drugs, almost any pills she could swallow.’ 

A close friend of the late star, Cynthia McFadden, explained that Jacqueline’s father as well as a governess had been at home with her. 

‘My daughter’s a blessing. My world came together. I mean, I was already on the Today show, and I’d had three miscarriages, and now I had everything,’ Barbara said; seen in 1992 in NYC

Barbara admitted to feeling ‘guilty’ when it came to her only child and also stated, ‘I didn’t realize how tough it was, because she had a mother who was a celebrity’; seen with former President Richard M. Nixon in 1980 

However, she also recalled that the TV personality ‘articulated many times that she’d made mistakes as a mother.

‘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.’ 

Back in 2003 during an interview with NBC News, Jacqueline recalled sneaking out of her house as an early teen and would go to nightclub Studio 54. She also took drugs including marijuana and methamphetamines.

‘I’m lucky I didn’t die,’ she told the outlet at the time, and opened up about her adoption, saying the abandonment from her birth parents ‘played a big, big part’ in her drug abuse. 

Back in 2003 during an interview with NBC News , Jacqueline recalled sneaking out of her house as an early teen and would go to nightclub Studio 54. She also took drugs including marijuana and methamphetamines; seen in 1999 

‘I did marijuana. It was called crank then, but it’s now methamphetamines. Quaaludes were all over the place. Valium. And the drugs numbed all the other feelings.’

Jacqueline added, ‘But it didn’t take away the issues that I had. They got bigger and bigger. I was more and more isolated from my mom’s world. And I thought running [away from home] would solve all my problem.’

The Hulu doc Barbara Walters Tell Me Everything is set to premiere on the streaming site on June 23. 

It ‘examines the broadcast legend’s pivotal role in the history of journalism and her pioneering example for women in the industry,’ per an official synopsis.