It’s hard to imagine a world where Barbara Walters isn’t on television. After all, this is a woman who entered the news business (as a segment producer on NBC’s Today Show) in 1962 and has been on the air longer than many of her fans have been alive.
But, as she announced nearly a year ago, the groundbreaking journalist will retire from the small screen today after hosting one last episode of The View.
To celebrate her 50 years in television, we’ve assembled a gallery of images from her long and storied career.
From left: NBC News' Jack Lescoulie, Hugh Downs, and Barbara Walters report on the assassination of President John F. Kennedy on Nov. 23, 1963.NBC/Getty ImagesNBC's Barbara Walters takes a phone call at her desk in New York City, circa 1964.Hulton Archive/Getty ImagesFrom left: Gene Shalit, Joe Garagiola, Barbara Walters,and Frank McGee on NBC News. NBC/Getty ImagesBarbara Walters during an interview at the presidential inauguration of Lyndon B. Johnson in Washington D.C., Jan. 20, 1965.NBC/Getty ImagesBarbara Walters on The Today Show in 1969.NBC/Getty ImagesFrom left: Senator Ted Kennedy and Barbara Walters during an interview at Kennedy's home in the 1970s.NBC/Getty ImagesFrom left: Co-anchor Barbara Walters interviews President Richard Nixon.NBC/Getty ImagesToday Show anchor Barbara Walters in 1972. NBC/Getty ImagesBarbara Walters interviews former First Lady Mamie Eisenhower NBC/Getty ImagesBarbara Walters, guest host on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, interviews Truman Capote, May 24, 1976.NBC/Getty ImagesBarbara Walters, Henry Kissinger, Walter Cronkite and John Chancellor after being awarded Hubert H. Humphrey Freedom Prize for their roles in Mideast peace talks in 1977.New York Daily News Archive/Getty ImagesThe Dalai Lama is greeted by Barbara Walters and Richard Gere on a visit to the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City in 1992. Arnaldo Magnani—Getty ImagesFrom left: Bill Clinton and Barbara Walters on May 1, 1992.Time & Life Pictures/Getty ImagesBarbara Walters poses for photographers at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium during the Emmy Award ceremonies, Sept. 18, 1993.Miranda Shen—Getty ImagesFidel Castro speaks during an interview with Barbara Walters in the State Council in Havana, Cuba, Oct. 7, 2000.Sven Creutzmann—Mambo Photograph/Getty ImagesABC talk show host and newswoman Barbara Walters stands atop her newly unveiled star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame with Elisabeth Hasselbeck and Joy Behar in Hollywood, June 14, 2007. Fred Prouser—ReutersBarbara Walters' first nationally televised appearance, conducted via Skype, since her heart surgery, July 12, 2010.Jeff Neira—ABC/Getty ImagesNews reporters Christiane Amanpour, Barbara Walters, Katie Couric, and Diane Sawyer tape an interview at "Good Morning America" at the ABC Times Square Studios in New York City, Oct. 3, 2011.Ray Tamarra—Getty ImagesSyrian President Bashar Al-Assad with ABC News Anchor Barbara Walters for his first on-camera interview with an American journalist since the uprising in Syria began. The interview aired across ABC platforms on Dec. 7, 2011. Rob Wallace—ABC/Getty ImagesU.S. President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama take part in a taping of the "The View" chat show at ABC's studios in New York, Sept. 24, 2012. Jason Reed—ReutersAll 11 co-hosts of ABC's "The View," present and past, celebrated the show’s creator Barbara Walters on May 15, 2014. Lou Rocco—ABC
