Barbara Walters Played A Bigger Role In Oprah's Decision Not To Have Kids Than We Realized

Oprah Winfrey leads an unconventional life. Winfrey and her longtime partner Stedman Graham have never married, and Winfrey has never had children. Remaining childless is an active choice by some women, and Winfrey is one of them. It was Barbara Walters, a fellow member of the media, that helped inspire that choice. In the Hulu documentary "Barbara Walters: Tell Me Everything," Winfrey addressed seeing the at times stressful relationship that Walters had with her daughter Jacqueline Danforth and realizing that she didn't want something similar for her own life. "I remember her telling me once that there's nothing more fulfilling than having children, and you should really think about it," Oprah revealed. "And I was like, 'OK, but I'm looking at you. So no,'" via ABC News.

To understand why Walters's story was such a cautionary tale for Winfrey, it's important to get some insight into the at times fraught relationship the famous broadcaster had with her daughter. While it doesn't seem like things were ever smooth sailing between them as Walters built her career, things seemed their worst between them when Danforth was a teen; she did things like sneaking out to Studio 54 on her own, doing drugs, and running away for a month.

Danforth and Walters sat down for an interview in 2002 to discuss their relationship and its complicated ups and downs. Walters confirmed how different things were in the late 1960s when she adopted Danforth when it came to being a mother and working, particularly in such a high-profile field. "There was no having it all," Walters explained to NBC News. "And there was not really a career for women."

Barbara Walters was a groundbreaking journalist while also being a mother, and it's a huge challenge to be at the top of your game in multiple fields, so there's no faulting her for not being able to do both flawlessly. But even so, Walters said that she regretted not spending as much time with her daughter, and Danforth has acknowledged the difficulties that came with having a famous mother.

Clearly, Oprah Winfrey saw all of this drama and potential for regret. It would be easy to see why Winfrey would think it was something to avoid, along with understanding how easily something similar could happen to her as well if she had kids.

It seems that for Winfrey, she wanted to be able to laser focus on her work. In the Hulu documentary, Winfrey talked about seeing how driven and dedicated Walters was to her work, which is a trait that Winfrey shares as well. "You are a pioneer in your field, and you are trying to break the mold for yourself and the women who follow you, then something's going to have to give for that," Winfrey explained. "And that is why I did not have children. I knew I could not do both well," per ABC News.