Barbara Walters has set May 16 as her final day as co-host of ABC’s “The View.”
The veteran newswoman announced nearly a year ago that she intended to retire from the daytime talk show she created at the end of this season.
On Monday’s episode of “The View,” Walters, 84, said that while she is sad to leave, “It feels right for me. I love this show, it will continue without me. I don’t want people to say, ‘Is she still here?’ I want people to say, ‘Well isn’t this fun.’ ”
“The View” — which Walters co-hosts with Whoopi Goldberg, Sherri Shepherd and Jenny McCarthy — will celebrate Walters in a week-long farewell starting May 12. The evening of her final show on May 16, ABC will also air a two-hour special highlighting her life and 50-plus-year career in broadcast journalism.
Walters is not entirely stepping away from TV, however — she’ll remain an executive producer of “The View” and contribute to ABC News “as news warrants.”
Walters made a name for herself on NBC’s “Today” show before jumping to ABC in 1976, where she broke barriers by becoming the first female anchor of an evening news program (alongside Harry Reasoner).
As recognition for her contributions to broadcast television, ABC News headquarters in New York will be named in her honor this spring.
“I haven’t gone yet,” Walters said on-air as her co-hosts gave her a standing ovation.