Barbara Walters’ Biggest Heartbreak Was Not Her Career But Her Daughter

Barbara Walters, a trailblazing journalist known for interviewing world leaders and celebrities, faced a private sorrow that rarely made headlines — her complicated relationship with her adopted daughter, Jackie.

Ahead of a new documentary on Walters’ life, her close friend Cynthia McFadden revealed that Walters’ deepest regret wasn’t in her career but in not having the close mother-daughter bond she yearned for. Despite her success, Walters often felt a painful void, telling friends she admired their family lives but couldn’t relate.

Walters adopted Jackie in 1968 after multiple miscarriages, but her demanding career made balancing motherhood difficult. As Jackie grew, she rebelled, struggled with drugs, and even ran away — once prompting Walters to send a former Green Beret to retrieve her.

Though they loved each other, their differences created distance. Walters lived with the regret of a strained relationship until her death in 2022.