Barbara Walters
A fixture on TV since the '60s, Walters is known for her soft-focus interviews, her ability to make grown men and women cry, and one of the most famous speech impediments of the 20th century. She's currently the resident den mother, referee, and part owner (ca-ching!) on The View.
Walters landed her first job in the industry in 1961, when she was the first female writer hired on the Today Show; two years later, she moved in front of the camera to become the show's unofficial co-host. In 1976, she jumped to ABC for a then-scandalous $1 million a year. She remained at ABC for the next two decades, co-anchoring 20/20 and hosting regular one-hour specials. In 2004,
she stepped down as 20/20's co-anchor but she still makes celebs cry on her specials. She still co-hosts chatty morning show The View, which has kept her plenty busy the last few years with frequent tabloid-frenzied host-oustings like Star Jones and Rosie O'Donnell.
Babs has had her share of feuds in the news business over the years. She's long competed with Diane Sawyer for big interviews and went ballistic on Sept. 11th when Sawyer got to cover the tragedy from Ground Zero. She also had a long, tension-filled relationship with the late Peter Jennings. Jennings didn't consider Walters a real journalist and occasionally tried to undermine her by asking her to comment on what people were wearing. Feisty Walters would respond by "accidentally" calling him "Ted," a reference to Ted Koppel. ZING. [Image via Getty]