A new biography of legendary TV journalist Barbara Walters reveals the lengths she went to secure exclusive interviews, including hiding in a bathroom at Camp David and offering Monica Lewinsky a multi-million dollar deal to beat Oprah Winfrey to the story.
According to Susan Page's 'The Rulebreaker: The Life and Times of Barbara Walters,' the journalist, who died in 2022 aged 93, stopped at nothing to get a story due to her 'unrelenting drive to dominate the news.' Walters famously landed the first interview with Lewinsky in 1999 after the Clinton scandal by acting like her 'favorite aunt' and offering a deal worth at least $2.6 million.
During the interview, Walters pressed Lewinsky on why she told a grand jury about intimate details, including the infamous cigar incident. Page notes that Walters managed to be 'both empathetic and skeptical,' drawing a record audience of 74 million.
The book also details how Walters hid in a visitors' bathroom at Camp David to try to secure an interview with former President Jimmy Carter. In another instance, she made Sean Connery admit he thought it was 'okay to slap a woman,' comments that haunted him for life.
Walters' intrusive questions extended to Ricky Martin, whom she asked about his sexuality, causing him lasting distress, and Brooke Shields, whom she asked about her measurements. The biography, published on April 23, portrays Walters as a pioneer who pushed TV journalism away from hard news, a move now seen as ahead of its time.
