It is no surprise that Barbara Walters' rise to the top was a difficult one.
The legendary journalist, who passed away aged 93 in 2022 after a battle with dementia, made history back in 1976 when ABC hired her as the network's first female nightly news co-anchor, opposite Harry Reasoner.
And though she went on to become both a trailblazer and household name, it didn't come without its fair share of mental setbacks and personal trauma.
Tomorrow, June 12, Tell Me Everything, a documentary on Walters' life, will premiere at the TriBeCa Film Festival, before its June 23 release on Hulu.
The documentary explores a secret, much darker side to Walters, including her traumatic childhood, deep insecurities, and family turmoil, particularly her daughter Jacqueline Dena Guber's drug issues.
Speaking with People ahead of the premiere, Walters' longtime friend and current ABC News senior executive producer David Sloan shared: "Her road to success was paved with potholes and peril and naysayers."
Recalling Walters' early days at ABC, former NBC correspondent Cynthia McFadden also told the outlet about how the How to Talk With Practically Anybody About Practically Anything author was constantly bullied and iced out by her male co-workers.
"Harry was downright rude to her," she said of Walters' co-anchor, who died in 1991. In resurfaced commentary featured in the documentary, Walters said: "I would walk into that studio, and Harry would be sitting with the stagehands, and they’d all crack jokes and ignore me. No one would talk to me. There was not a woman on the staff," and confessed it was "the most painful period in my life."
The documentary also highlights Walters' painfully insecure side. Another revelation featured in the documentary is fellow journalist Katie Couric recalling Walters telling her: "Oh, we're so alike: neither of us is that attractive."
In a release about the documentary, Sloan also said: "ABC News broke new ground by hiring Barbara and putting a woman at the anchor desk which was the exclusive preserve of men," adding: "Her road was filled with peril and naysayers and navigating that was not without personal costs. Nevertheless, Barbara created a dazzling career that had no blueprint and changed broadcast journalism forever."
Director Jackie Jesko further shared: "My hope for the film is that audiences feel they get to know the real Barbara, in all her complexities — her private struggles and her public triumphs."
"Barbara stayed a television fixture for five decades, battling rampant sexism, fierce competition, and a constantly evolving media landscape. In today's world, where celebrities and politicians can choose to speak out on their own social media platforms instead of subjecting themselves to a news interviewer, Barbara's story gives us the opportunity to explore the changing relationship between journalism, fame, and truth."