She Decided Who Mattered: The Legacy of Barbara Walters

Jackie Jesko is a war correspondent turned filmmaker joins Danielle to unpack her new Hulu documentary on the life and legacy of Barbara Walters. But this isn’t just a conversation about one iconic journalist, it’s about the entire media ecosystem she helped create. Danielle has always wanted to be the millennial Barbara Walters, the kind of interviewer who could sit with heads of state, celebrities, and everyday people alike so it was incredibly fun to hear Jackie and Danielle explore: Why Barbara Walters was the original media gatekeeper How she reinvented herself after public “failure” Her strategy for booking presidents, dictators, and celebrities The underappreciated role of female ambition in shaping broadcast journalism How gossip, grit, and research became Barbara’s secret weapons Why Diane Sawyer sparked Barbara’s deepest insecurities The unseen emotional cost of being “the first” Why The View changed daytime TV forever The power of interviews as cultural time capsules And how Jackie unearthed never-before-seen footage that reintroduces Barbara in her own words If you care about storytelling, media, power, or pop culture…this episode isn’t just about Barbara Walters. It’s about the evolution of journalism, the complexity of legacy, and what it means to lead with questions. Watch Jackie’s film Tell Me Everything on Hulu. Book reccomendation: Audition by Barbara Walters Follow Jackie Jesko on Instagram.