Barbara Walters Retiring?
Barbara Walters has become the latest television personality to be named in retirement rumors recently.
The 83-year-old "The View" cohost is reportedly preparing to announce the end of her 52-year career with her retirement beginning in May 2014, according to Deadline.
Moreover, Walters' retirement would mean leaving "The View."
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"She's one of a kind and what she has done is remarkable," said an insider at The New York Post. "There will be an announcement about her retirement soon."
An early announcement of Walters' retirement would be fitting since the iconic broadcaster is a staple on ABC News, where her send off is expected to be complete with a formalized tribute.
Previous rumors of Walters' retirement occurred in 2010 after she accidentally was captured telling President Obama "I'm retiring next year."
Meanwhile, ABC News denied Walters' retirement at the time, and the network has not commented on today's rumors.
Walters is not the only seasoned newswoman rumored to be considering retirement this year. Last month, Diane Sawyer was believed to be planning to retire as early as this year, but ABC silenced rumors about the star newswoman.
Speculation over Sawyer's future hit a fever pitch just as news of Walters' chicken pox diagnosis was revealed.
"She has discussed with a few close friends and some people at AB that she is seriously considering retiring," said a source at The New York Daily News.
"She said she'll be ready to hang up not long down the road," the insider added. "She loves work and what she does and has endless energy, but she is overwhelmed with personal problems and she is thinking about leaving to take care of her family."
The distinguished ABC correspondent was believed to be ready to "hang up," but senior vice president of ABC News Jeffrey Schneider cleared the air.
"That is not true," Schneider said in a statement, according to Entertainment Tonight.
In response to the newspaper's report, ABC's Schneider added, "And had the Daily News actually asked us if Diane was considering retiring we would have told them yesterday that it wasn't true."
Sawyer, 67, is the current anchor of ABC News' flagship program "ABC World News" and she formerly served as co-anchor of ABC News' morning program, "Good Morning America (GMA)."
