Barbara Walters was not just an iconic American television journalist; she was a woman who fought discrimination, stereotypes, and personal insecurities to forge a new path in a world that wasn’t meant for her. The new documentary Barbara Walters: Tell Me Everything , out June 23 on Hulu, illuminates her multifaceted and deeply human side.

At a time when women in media were invisible or marginalized, Walters became the first female co-anchor of a nightly newscast in the United States. She never stopped asserting her voice, even when her colleagues blatantly ignored her, even when sexism was commonplace. “There were no women on the staff. It was the most difficult time of my life,” she said.

But Walters didn’t just open doors for women in the media. With her determination to ask tough questions – of men and women in power, of stars and politicians, regardless of profile or popularity – she challenged the notion of the “safe” interview and made the public see the interview as a tool for truth and accountability.

Those who knew her speak of a woman who prepared meticulously, respected her guests, and was not afraid to ask questions that no one else dared to ask. As Oprah Winfrey says in the documentary: “She asked questions that no one dared to ask. She knew how to get beneath the surface, to provoke, to move, to reveal the human dimension of things.”

Supporting her family from a young age – a family that had gone from the glories of nightlife to poverty and the responsibility of her sister’s disability – Walters experienced firsthand what it means to care, vulnerability and social inequalities. These experiences shaped a journalist with empathy but also a fierce determination. In her interviews, she did not hesitate to question even the powerful, to bring the truth to millions of viewers.

Her legacy is profound: a more inclusive media world, with more female voices, with questions that transcend surface narrative and reveal the deeper human dimension. Walters challenged the system, made room for diversity, and proved that gender, appearance, or the prejudices of others cannot define our potential and our path.

She retired from public life in 2016 and passed away in 2022, at the age of 93. But her work lives on. For every woman, every LGBTQ+ person, every voice that struggles to be heard, Barbara Walters was – and remains – a shining example of courage, dedication, and radical inclusion.