‘The View’: Barbara Walters comes under fire for Woody Allen ‘defense’

The View -As of right now, it is fair to say that “The View” has managed to become quite a hotbed of controversy … even more so than usual.

So what caused Barbara Walters to become a trending topic on Twitter early this morning, in addition to so many people online demanding that she puts in an early retirement? Let’s just say that it goes back to some comments that she made near the start of the show seemingly in defense of Woody Allen. The filmmaker has come under fire following a shocking letter penned by Dylan Farrow, in which accusations from his past have resurfaced (If you want more information on that be sure to watch the video attached below). Allen has denied the misconduct charges, but is still losing at the moment in the court of public opinion. Walters specifically said that she knew Allen was a loving father, while Sherri Shepherd offered up the counter-argument that it is very difficult to know what happens behind closed doors.

These comments alone were probably shocking enough for many, but the impact of them may have been aggrandized further by another segment that featured Walters condemning Mary Kay Letourneau, a teacher who she famously interviewed back in 2004 after charges that she had a relationship with a 13-year old boy. Words like “hypocrite” floated around the internet, with some suggestions of either sexism or prejudice for a celebrity coming into play.

Obviously, it’s impossible to know what was going through Walters’ head at the time in which she made her comments, but something that you have to think about is pretty simple: Why speak out if you know that it is going to create this sort of reaction? She had to at least be aware that her opinion would not be a popular one.

We’ll have a little bit more on this story, including video, when it becomes available. For now, we advise you to share some of your thoughts below. You can also click here to get updates from us every Sunday via email.

Photo: ABC

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