Have You Heard The Good News: Barbara Jill Walters died on December 30, 2022, at the age of 93.
Tell Me Everything, which premiered June 12 at the Tribeca Film Festival, serves as a fitting coda to her long, seminal career in journalism.
Director Jackie Jesko smartly weaves in archival audio from Walters’ past interviews, allowing Barbara to narrate her own story.
The Boston-born journalist (yes—Boston! I didn’t know she was Boston…either) was first exposed to showbiz and the entertainment industry through her father’s nightclub.
From there, Barbara Walters would become the first woman to co-anchor a network evening newscast; the ABC Evening News. Though really her brand became her interviews with world leaders, people who had committed crimes and of course celebrities.
(There’s probably a dim generation that only knows from The View. Same thing with Charles Barkley who for many is known as a loud mouth on TNT. I dunno who she was on The View and I don’t really care. When she was anchoring news and conducting interviews…she never asked viewers to come along on her journey. This is one of the grossest aspects of influencer culture. I don’t give a crap about your journey. In the interview, what are you curious about? Can you make psychological connections? Curate, don’t influence.)
The documentary features insights from Joy Behar, Connie Chung, Andy Cohen, Katie Couric, Lori Klein, Bette Midler, Victor Neufeld, David Sloan, Oprah Winfrey—and many more.
Each of those reflections underpins Barbara’s “pivotal role in the history of journalism and her pioneering example for women in the industry.”
Barbara Walters: Tell Me Everything streams on June 23, 2025 on Hulu: #SetTheVCR.
Sammy Verdict: Truthfully, I know Barbara Walters but I don’t really know Barbara Walters. For the first time, I feel like I finally get to meet her. I hope she’ll Tell Me Everything.
-28-
Sammy Younan is the affable host of My Summer Lair podcast: think NPR’s Fresh Air meets Kevin Smith: interviews & impressions on Pop Culture.
