A representative for the estate of the late Barbara Walters has vehemently denied the allegations made by sportscaster Sage Steele that Walters elbowed her into a wall backstage at The View. Steele, who is of biracial heritage, previously engaged in a debate with Walters on the show regarding her identification as biracial, despite Barack Obama identifying as black despite having a similar ethnic background. According to Steele, Walters confronted her after the taping and forcefully pushed her into a wall and a trash can. Steele shared her account on The Megyn Kelly Show, where she also claimed that co-host Whoopi Goldberg warned her not to let it happen. In response to Steele’s allegations, the representative for the Walters estate expressed disbelief and stated that this behavior was uncharacteristic of Barbara Walters.
Barbara Walters retired from The View in 2014 and passed away in December 2020 at the age of 93. Steele recounted her alleged encounter with Walters on Kelly’s podcast, describing the situation in a dark green room with Walters, Goldberg, and herself. Steele claimed that Walters backed up towards her, deliberately elbowed her, and forcefully pushed her into the wall and trash can. She asserted that several producers and Goldberg witnessed the incident, and Goldberg promptly intervened. Steele expressed her disbelief that a legendary figure in the industry had attempted to physically harm her.
Steele’s recent interview comes shortly after settling a lawsuit with ESPN, marking her departure from the network after more than fifteen years. Steele filed the lawsuit claiming that she was temporarily suspended and then removed from the network due to remarks she made regarding ESPN’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate during a podcast conversation with NFL alum Jay Cutler. Despite voicing her decision to ultimately comply with the mandate, Steele criticized the act of mandating vaccines as “sick” and expressed her concerns. She received criticism for her statements on the podcast, not only about the vaccine but also about the attire of female sportscasters. Steele clarified that her intention was not to justify inappropriate comments but expressed her opinion on the matter.
During the same podcast, Steele also discussed her disagreement with Barbara Walters regarding her identification as biracial. Steele shared her opinion on Barack Obama identifying as black, despite Steele’s perspective that he was raised by his white mother and grandmother and his black father was absent. Steele concluded her comments by stating that she would continue to embrace her own identity.
Following the podcast appearance, Steele faced backlash, and ESPN decided to remove her from the air for over a week. ESPN’s statement acknowledged the importance of diverse perspectives but emphasized the expectation of expressing those perspectives respectfully and in line with the network’s values and policies. Steele subsequently filed a lawsuit against ESPN, alleging that she was punished not only for exercising her right to freedom of speech but also due to the content of her speech. It was revealed recently that Steele had left ESPN and settled the lawsuit, though specific details of the settlement remain undisclosed.
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