If you grew up with television, you grew up with Barbara Walters.
From her record-shattering celebrity specials to her ice-breaking political interviews, Barbara Walters shaped how millions understood news, fame, and power.
Now, Hulu and ABC News Studios invite viewers behind the curtain in Barbara Walters: Tell Me Everything (streaming June 23 on Hulu, later this year on Disney+).
The feature-length documentary promises access to never-before-aired footage, brutally frank confessionals, and a panoramic view of the singular career that made Barbara Walters a household name.
A Trailblazer in a Man’s World
In 1976, Barbara Walters became the first woman to co-anchor a nightly network newscast when ABC paired her with Harry Reasoner.
The three-million-dollar deal made headlines; the tension between the co-anchors became one.
The documentary revisits the on-air frost with newly uncovered outtakes, revealing the subtle (and not-so-subtle) ways entrenched sexism tried to undercut Barbara Walters’ credibility. Colleagues like Connie Chung and Katie Couric weigh in on how Walters’ struggle—and eventual triumph—paved a pathway for women who followed.
The Interviews That Changed Television
Whether she was delicately asking Fidel Castro about political prisoners or coaxing theatrical tears from Katharine Hepburn, Barbara Walters redefined what a high-stakes interview could be.
The film, directed by Jackie Jesko and produced by Imagine Documentaries’ powerhouse duo Ron Howard and Brian Grazer, showcases uncut tapes from ABC’s archives.
Viewers see Barbara Walters negotiating ground rules moments before cameras rolled, then watch her seamlessly pivot from charm to interrogation. Oprah Winfrey, one of the documentary’s marquee commentators, explains how Barbara Walters influenced her own interviewing style: “She taught us that empathy and accountability can live in the same question.”
Balancing Act: Fame, Family, and Fear
For all her poise on screen, Barbara Walters admitted the private cost of public life.
Tell Me Everything does exactly that—pulling excerpts from Walters’ personal journals and letters to illustrate the strain of perfectionism.
Friends like Bette Midler and Andy Cohen recall dinner-table anecdotes about Walters’ irrepressible work ethic. We also meet Jackie, Walters’ adopted daughter, via family photos and rare home videos. Walters often said Jackie was her greatest interview because she had to learn to listen without the safety net of note cards.
From 20/20 to The View: Reinvention on Repeat
Most journalists would regard 25 years on 20/20 as a capstone. Barbara Walters saw it as an intermission.
In 1997 she co-created The View, a daytime roundtable that fused hard news with “hot topics” long before Twitter made them ubiquitous.
The documentary chronicles the uphill battle to sell the concept to ABC executives, who balked at the idea of multiple women debating on live television. Joy Behar, still a panelist 28 seasons later, credits Walters’ tenacity: “Barbara knew audiences could handle complexity. She insisted we talk politics one minute and parenting the next.”
That insistence helped The View become a ratings juggernaut and a launching pad for diverse female voices.
Imagine’s Signature Access
Director Jackie Jesko is no stranger to intimate profiles (her acclaimed The Truffle Hunters premiered at Sundance).
With producers Sara Bernstein and Marcella Steingart, Jesko delivers a film that feels both expansive and startlingly personal.
We see Barbara Walters off duty—singing show tunes backstage, fussing with cue cards, calling her crew “my boys” with maternal affection.
In one emotional segment, Walters reflects on aging out of the spotlight: “I hope the young women who come next don’t have to bang as hard on the door as I did.”
Premiere Buzz: Tribeca & Beyond
Barbara Walters: Tell Me Everything makes its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival, an apt home for a New York legend. Early festival chatter hints at awards-season viability, especially in documentary categories that celebrate cultural impact. But Grazer says the team had another goal: “We wanted to capture the real Barbara—funny, relentless, insecure, brilliant—so future journalists know whose shoulders they stand on.”
Why This Documentary Matters Now
Media trust is at a crossroads, and female leaders still battle the double standard Barbara Walters faced five decades ago. By revisiting her victories and missteps, the film offers a blueprint for resilience. It also underscores the core lesson Walters repeated to every intern: “Preparation is power.” For creators drowning in clickbait culture, that mantra feels revolutionary.
How to Watch
- Tribeca Film Festival: World premiere screening, June — check festival schedule.
- Hulu: Streams June 23 in the U.S.
- Disney+: Global release later in 2025 (date TBA).
Final Word
If you think you already know Barbara Walters, this documentary will surprise you. If you’ve never watched a Walters special, it will make you wonder how any journalist ever thought they could replace her. Tell Me Everything is more than a title—it’s a command Walters gave to presidents, prime ministers, and Hollywood royalty. Now, at last, she turns it on herself.
Barbara Walters transformed TV journalism; Barbara Walters: Tell Me Everything ensures her story is told with the depth, humor, and fearlessness she embodied. Stream it, study it, and remember the woman who asked the world’s most powerful people the simple questions we all wanted answered.
