Barbara Walters Announces Her Official Retirement Date

We knew that Barbara Walters was retiring, but we had no idea it was happening so soon.

Walters has announced that she will be bowing out of The View on May 16.

May 16 will also mark the beginning of a day long celebration in honor of Walters. ABC News is also naming its NYC headquarters after her.

This will be followed by a two-hour special about Walters who began her television career in 1961.

As the press release states:

Behind the scenes Walters will continue to be an active part of “The View,” the multi-generational talk show she created for ABC, in her role as Executive Producer along with Executive Producer Bill Geddie, her producing partner of more than 25 years. Last May, Walters announced live on the program that the 17^th season for “The View” would be her last. All season, “The View” has been celebrating Walters’ career by highlighting her most famous interviews with the ongoing series, “The Year of Barbara.”

Walters will also be a lifelong member of the ABC News team, making special appearances as news warrants.

ABC will honor the broadcast legend with a week-long celebration May 12-16

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