From telling the Kardashians they had no talent to making the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cry, here are Barbara Walters' most controversial interviews from her nearly 60-year career

Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert,Hannah GetahunDec 31, 2022, 12:31 IST

Larry Busacca/Getty

Barbara Walters, long-time journalist and co-host of "The View," died Friday at age 93.
After news broke of her passing, fans were quick to circulate clips of her iconic interviews.

After news broke Friday that journalist Barbara Walters died at age 93, fans were quick to circulate clips of iconic interviews from her nearly 60-year career.

The long-time ABC News anchor and correspondent made a name for herself with hard-hitting interviews and persistence when following a story — whether she was covering presidents and politicians or celebrities and current events.

After she made history by becoming the first woman to anchor a nightly newscast in 1964, Walters later became the world's highest-paid newscaster for several years and used her talents to become an influential interviewer, eventually inspiring other media personalities like Oprah.

Here's a look at some of her most controversial and memorable interviews.

In her now infamous 1989 interview with Muammar Qaddafi, the then 59-year-old broadcaster asked the Libyan dictator why people believed he was "mad."

Barbara Walters interviews Muammar Qaddafi outside his tent in Tripoli, Libya, on Walt Disney Television via Getty Images News' "20/20" airing on the Walt Disney Television via Getty Images Television Network.Kimberly Butler/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images

Though Walters was praised for her celebrity interviews, she sometimes made her subjects deeply uncomfortable — Brooke Shields referred to Walters' invasive questions as "practically criminal."

Barbara Walters and Brooke Shields during The Hollywood Reporter's Women in Entertainment Power 100 Breakfast Sponsored by Lifetime - Red Carpet at Beverly HIlls Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, United StatesL. Cohen/WireImage

Though Walters was praised for her celebrity interviews, she sometimes made her subjects deeply uncomfortable — Brooke Shields referred to Walters' invasive questions as "practically criminal."

Walters once questioned and seemed to chastise New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie for his weight as he eyed a presidential nomination in 2012.

Chris Christie sits with Barbara WaltersIda Mae astute/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images

Walters, known for her persistence, also made Ricky Martin feel "violated" in 2000 when she repeatedly questioned his sexuality.

Pop singer and actor Ricky Martin visits "The View" on February 11, 2011Heidi Gutman/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images

When asking about an affair she had with then-president Bill Clinton, Walters questioned Monica Lewinsky why she sought out married men.

After months of legal negotiations, former White House intern Monica Lewinsky, whose explicit sexual affair with President Bill Clinton resulted in Clinton's impeachment, broke her longtime silence to talk with Barbara Walters on Walt Disney Television.Virginia Sherwood/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images

In her interview with then-President Obama, Walters got straight to the point, asking: "What's the trait you most deplore in yourself, and the trait you most deplore in others?"

Barbara Walters interviews then President-elect Barack Obama and his wife MichelleGeorge Burns/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images NEWS via Getty Images

In her interview with then-President Obama, Walters got straight to the point, asking: "What's the trait you most deplore in yourself, and the trait you most deplore in others?"

After Bette Midler confided in Walters in a 1991 interview that she had been groped by Geraldo Rivera, Walters laughed and encouraged the musician to change the subject.

Bette Midler and Barbara Walters attend the "I'll Eat You Last: A Chat With Sue Mengers" Broadway opening night after-party at The Russian Tea Room on April 24, 2013 in New York City.Bruce Glikas/FilmMagic

After Bette Midler confided in Walters in a 1991 interview that she had been groped by Geraldo Rivera, Walters laughed and encouraged the musician to change the subject.

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From telling the Kardashians they had no talent to making the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cry, here are Barbara Walters' most controversial interviews from her nearly 60-year career

In her now infamous 1989 interview with Muammar Qaddafi, the then 59-year-old broadcaster asked the Libyan dictator why people believed he was "mad."

Though Walters was praised for her celebrity interviews, she sometimes made her subjects deeply uncomfortable — Brooke Shields referred to Walters' invasive questions as "practically criminal."

Walters once questioned and seemed to chastise New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie for his weight as he eyed a presidential nomination in 2012.

Walters, known for her persistence, also made Ricky Martin feel "violated" in 2000 when she repeatedly questioned his sexuality.

When asking about an affair she had with then-president Bill Clinton, Walters questioned Monica Lewinsky why she sought out married men.

In her interview with then-President Obama, Walters got straight to the point, asking: "What's the trait you most deplore in yourself, and the trait you most deplore in others?"

After Bette Midler confided in Walters in a 1991 interview that she had been groped by Geraldo Rivera, Walters laughed and encouraged the musician to change the subject.