Barbara Walters signs off from her final episode of 'The View' - Los Angeles Times
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Barbara Walters signs off from her final episode of ‘The View’

Oprah Winfrey, left, surprised Barbara Walters, right, on Walters' final episode of "The View."
Oprah Winfrey, left, surprised Barbara Walters, right, on Walters’ final episode of “The View.”
(Ida Mae Astute / Associated Press)
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Barbara Walters signed off from “The View” for the final time in an episode that aired Friday (it was recorded on Thursday). And in her parting remarks, she let America know she was now available for supermarket openings and lunches for a $10 fee.

“The good news is, that now I will have time to get Botox,” Walters joked in her closing remarks. “But now that I’m no longer going to be on the air, I don’t need Botox.”

Walters’ final show featured appearances from Hillary Rodham Clinton, Michael Douglas and Oprah Winfrey, who introduced every major female working in news today because of Walters’ inspiration, including Diane Sawyer, Robin Roberts, Lara Spencer, Elizabeth Vargas, Amy Robach, Juju Chang, Deborah Roberts, Katie Couric, Savannah Guthrie, Natalie Morales, Tamron Hall, Maria Shriver, Cynthia McFadden, Kathy Lee Gifford, Hoda Kotb, Jane Pauley, Gayle King, Gretchen Carlson, Deborah Norville, Paula Zahn, Connie Chung and Joan Lunden.

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Fans were most excited to see the reunion of all 11 current and former “View” co-hosts around an extra-large table. Meredith Vieira, Star Jones, Debbie Matenopoulos, Joy Behar, Lisa Ling, Elisabeth Hasselbeck and Rosie O’Donnell came back to join Whoopi Goldberg, Sherri Shepherd and Jenny McCarthy along with Walters for her final show. Walters went around the table, getting updates on the former co-hosts families and careers.

At one point Walters even joked it seemed more like an obituary for her than a retirement party.

But in her closing remarks, Walters recounted what 50 years on TV was like. She recalled interviews with the king of Saudi Arabia, the president of Syria, the Dalai Lama, the heads of Egypt and Israel, every U.S. president and first lady from the Nixons to Obamas, Tom Hanks, Tom Cruise, Clint Eastwood, Bette Davis and Angelina Jolie.

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“Finally, how proud when I see all the young women making and reporting the news,” Walters said. “If I did anything to make that happen, that’s my legacy.

“Who knows what the future brings,” she said mysteriously. “Maybe instead of goodbye, I should say a bientot, which in French means, ‘See you later.’”

Then in true Barbara Walters fashion, she concluded with a plug for her prime-time special set to air Friday night on ABC.

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