She won’t be returning to The View at all

Oct 2, 2014 14:23 GMT  ·  By
Troubling report claims Barbara Walters suffers from senile dementia and is getting worse by the day
   Troubling report claims Barbara Walters suffers from senile dementia and is getting worse by the day

Iconic TV personality Barbara Walters officially retired this year, announcing that she would focus more on her work behind the camera than in front of it from here on. However, she was still planning on doing a few appearances on the show she helped put on the map, The View on ABC.

Plans for these have been scrapped because her health has taken a turn for the worse. Friends fear that she might be suffering from senile dementia because she’s been having memory lapses and is often confused about her surroundings.

The report comes from The National Enquirer, via Radar Online, and is still pending confirmation from anyone from Walters’ camp.

Things are really bad with Barbara, insiders claim

At 85 years old and (still) keeping a very busy schedule, anyone would excuse Mrs. Walters if she forgot about an appointment or something she’d told a friend the day before. However, the report would have us believe, this is much more serious: things are bad with her, so bad that they’re thinking she should retire from public life altogether.

Until then, they’re starting with her plans to return on The View, joining the new panel of co-hosts.

“Barbara was supposed to go on The View now that the new season has begun. But network brass deep-sixed the idea – scared of what she’d say on live TV,” one unnamed source dishes.

They’d already turned down her proposition to make a cameo on the premiere episode, thus helping audiences warm up to Rosie O’Donnell, so they’re not looking to take any chances.

Ironically, though the report makes it sound as if Barbara is in a really bad shape, it doesn’t say a single word about the extra care she’s receiving, if any. Which is to say, do take it with a grain of salt, especially since it comes from the Enquirer: the tab is known for breaking several major stories, but it also is known for maintaining a very confusing relationship with the truth.

Rumor or not, The View is going through a tough time

Earlier this year, ABC put The View through the sword, shook things up considerably, and is now praying the new formula will work. As if having Barbara off the air wasn’t enough, they also fired a longtime producer and basically everyone else but Whoopi Goldberg.

Then, they brought Rosie O’Donnell back, presumably because she’s a loud-mouth who can get very offensive when she wants, and they’re convinced controversy is what will boost the ratings. They also brought newcomers Rosie Perez and Nicolle Wallace on board, reportedly placing them under O’Donnell’s “wing.”

Things got off to a shaky start already, with a report saying a couple of days ago that Whoopi and Rosie got into such a massive fight during a recent taping, during commercial break, that audiences were actually embarrassed to have witnessed it.

Whoopi managed to silence Rosie and win the battle this time, but the plan is to have Rosie take over The View, as Barbara’s successor, the report also said.