Why ABC's Barbara Walters Couldn't Stand Diane Sawyer

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Diane Sawyer and Barbara Walters' rivalry started before they had even met. In Susan Page's 2024 biography of Walters, "The Rulebreaker," she wrote that the veteran news anchor felt it was unfair that someone with her considerable experience had to split her screen time with a relative newcomer like Sawyer. Walters even called an ABC executive to push back against her hiring, subtly threatening to walk away from the network altogether. Although she eventually got on board with the idea following some reassurance from the executive in question, the legendary TV star remained unhappy about the new addition. 

Sawyer reasoned to the biographer that Walters' resentment, as one of the richest news anchors in the U.S., likely stemmed from the fact that she had unintentionally encroached on her territory by conducting interviews that followed a similar theme to hers. In typical fashion, Walters refused to go down without a fight and expressed her dislike for her co-anchor stepping on her toes by taking over her first interview on the show. In "60 Minutes" producer Ira Rosen's book, "Ticking Clock," he noted that she and Walters tried to keep their rivalry under wraps at the ABC offices and even made light of it with their co-workers. 

This was a clear attempt to make them believe how ridiculous the swirling rumors about the two women not getting along were. However, Sawyer couldn't keep her distaste for her co-anchor hidden while she was in an elevator with Rosen, reportedly telling him in no uncertain terms, "'I hate that woman. Don't believe a word she says. She knifes me any chance she gets.'" He continued, "She had the look of someone who wanted vengeance." Notably, some of Walters' issues with Sawyer may have stemmed from her own insecurities.

While speaking to People in June 2025, Cynthia McFadden, a longtime confidant of Barbara Walters, divulged that the iconic news anchor was "painfully insecure" deep down. And Diane Sawyer's presence only exacerbated her issues. As McFadden shared, "She thought Diane was the ideal woman, and she couldn't compete with that. She could work harder. She could know more people. But she couldn't compete with the blonde goddess." In the 2025 documentary "Barbara Walters: Tell Me Everything," meanwhile, a former ABC producer further elaborated that although Walters already had a groundbreaking career, she was still insecure about her co-anchor being so much younger than her. As a result, it's unsurprising that their rivalry could get petty at times.

In Ira Rosen's "Ticking Clock," he detailed how the two women would often get into spats about who would say the first and last word on their show. Although the pair eventually agreed that Walters would start the show and Sawyer would sign off, the veteran star would still sneak a "Good night" in just to stick it to her rival. Further, each lady also kept track of how many words their rival would typically get in the introductory segment. 

While the pair may have tried their best to keep their rivalry a secret, it still caught the attention of their colleague Connie Chung. In September 2024, the news anchor who disappeared without a trace admitted to Us Weekly that she was disheartened to see these two powerful women fighting against each other instead of joining her and teaming up to become an unstoppable force that could stand tall among their male colleagues.