Barbara Walters Attacks Mimi Alford
February 13, 2012
by Alison
|Barbara Walters is an icon in journalism and certainly the woman journalist with the most name recognition in the United States. Unfortunately, her daytime talk show, the View, does not serve women well. Although the show goes for a “you go girl” vibe by having only female co-hosts and chatty dialogue well-sprinkled with outspoken quips, I have seen Walters, along with co-host Joy Behar and Whoopi Goldberg, too often turn their teeth on other women.
This tendency seemed almost exaggerated when Mimi Alford appeared on the show last week to discuss her book “Once Upon a Secret”which details her affair with President John F. Kennedy Jr. when she was just 19 years old. Barbara’s disdain for Mimi is palpable when Walters introduced Alford by stating, “She’ll make a lot of money! You will, Mimi Alford.” Walters mentions the amount of money Alford will make four times during this short interview, not subtly implying that Alford is a money grubbing attention seeker. The interview descended from there. Walters acted shocked by the book’s “lurid details,” particularly mention of the two instances that JFK asked Alford to give his friend on one occasion and his brother on another occasion a blow job while the President watched. Alford kept her composure and responded, “It was very difficult for me to write that piece and I put it in the book, I took it out of the book, I put it in the book, I took it out. I put it in again because it needed to be there because I really needed to remind myself how vulnerable I was and susceptible to power.”
Walters treatment of Alfred continued to go down hill when she accused Alford of being callous toward the Kennedy family for publishing the book, while at the same time questioning why she did not share her story sooner:
Walters: Ms. Alford, I have to bring something up, a problem, because as I said you are going to sell a lot of books… because there are a lot of juicy details and after 50 years you remember all of them. But there are two things that trouble me. One, did you think at all today of Caroline Kennedy who is alive today and her children when you wrote this book which did not have to be written. And also, does the name Monica Lewinsky mean anything to you. Do you think maybe if you had written this book or talked about it then, it might have saved her when she was just being pilloried.
Alford: Well, let’s see to answer the second question first, let me say that when Monica Lewinsky, that’s her story, and when that relationship was revealed, I was still in a place of hiding myself. In fact, what I worried about at that time was that somebody was going to find me. So there would have been no way that I would have written a story then. And Caroline… there was no motivation or intention in my book to hurt anyone. This is my story…
Walters: I know but you must hurt that family…
Alford: But this was my experience and this was my story and what I needed to do was to write it and to talk about it which is what is happening now and it is actually giving me a voice that I never had.
Walters, it becomes clear, just wishes Mimi had kept her mouth shut and her rage at Alford grew upon hearing Alford’s explanation for why she decided to publish this book now:
Alford: Because in 2003 when I was outed in somebody else’s biography of the President there was a paragraph about me.And shortly after that, I realized I didn’t want to leave my story in someone else’s….
Walters: I read that book, there was one paragraph, very mild, did not go through these details, nobody even remembers it, you could have let it go.
In this interview, Barbara Walters is not a journalist. Nor is she showing herself to be a thought provoking talk show host. Barbara Walters is instead doing all that she can to protect Kennedy’s biography by suggesting that Alford has no right to share her own story. There are always those men who are thought to be beyond criticism and John F. Kennedy Jr. certainly falls into this category. But here was a lost opportunity for Walters to flesh out Kennedy’s biography, warts and all. Because we have learned from Mimi that Kennedy was a man who treated a 19 year old virgin intern like a prostitute beginning with their first encounter. We have learned that he forced drugs upon her in order to enhance sex. We have learned that they never kissed during their 18 month affair and that Alford never called JFK by his name – it was always “Mr. President.” The power dynamics here between a very young and inexperienced woman and who was then the most powerful man in the word should have inspired some thoughtful questions by Walters. But sadly, Walters missed an opportunity to learn about how such an exploitive relationship can impact a woman. Mimi stated of the relationship, “That secret affected my whole adult life.” Barbara’s response? “I know you’re going to sell a lot of books and maybe that will help compensate for any bad memories.”
Gee whiz, that is just blatant! Shame on you BW, shame on you. Setting women back by encouraging them to be silent about the fact that they were exploited, just so you can hang on to your cozy dream that the Kennedy’s were Camelot. Just shameful.
Three thoughts come to mind…
Why should Mimi Alford worry about hurting Kennedy’s family when Kennedy clearly didn’t worry about hurting them or anyone else by his outrageous and degrading behavior?
Democrat women are instinctive enablers in co-dependent relationships with the misogynist men in their party. I find it very off-putting and personally would go to great lengths to avoid being identified with Democrats for that reason.
Who really watches The View? I have known three people who watched it. Two are old retired men who have passed on now. I would like to know what percentage of their viewers are female. Because I have noticed that women are either at their job when it’s on or if they are stay at home moms they are busy with their families and volunteer work.
Excellent piece, Alison! I wonder how much money Walters made from Mimi Alford’s appearance on The View.
Edee, LOL!!! Excellent silencing technique to be used on others
Bes, the problem isn’t with Democrats. The problem is with the larger culture. In regard to the View, I’m amazed that so many women DO watch this horrible show!!!
Anna Belle, the word “silencing” keeps popping up in my head. Silencing is a strategy used over and over again to make sure that women are too embarrassed to bring up the issues that are important to them.
Still, I am sure the network knows how many people watch The View and what percentage of them are women and even what age groups they fall into. There are more than 150 million women in the US. So how many watch The View? There is no reason that the network should hide this information unless the answer is that very few people watch and few of them are women. I am sick of content that is approved by male Producers, written, cast, costumed, directed and edited by men and which female audiences don’t want to watch, being labeled as “women’s content” by media men.
Bes, they play the View at the gym I go to. I think the View is just background noise for a lot of women while they workout or take care of the home/ their families and not a lot of thought is given in terms of the quality. They use Elisabeth in order to make liberals angry and to give liberals some sort of enjoyment when Joy or Whoopi beat up on her. You are right, we need better choices. Television created by networks that are 50 percent women-run. Barbara is just a tool who is sure to give male executives what they want.
Me thinks Ms. Walters owes Ms. Alford a BIG apology!!!
I agree, Alison. I think they are condescending and cruel to Elizabeth Hasselbeck sometimes.
Amen, Amy. Me thinks Ms. Walters owes a lot of people a huge apology!
Why should she apologize for doing her job, for what has always been her job… even today…
The Media-Created Camelot
http://bigjournalism.com/rfutr.....d-camelot/
So, if Barbara played a very large part of creating that fantasy “image” in the first place why in the world should any of us suppose that helping to tear it apart would have anything to do with achieving equality for women in her mind? In any of their minds?
I watched The View that day and, while Walters was rude to Alford, she didn’t “descend into rage”. She was clearly annoyed because of what she perceived to be an attack on JFK. That’s really hypocritical considering she wrote in her own autobiography about having a years-long affair with a married US Senator from MA. He has a family, too.
I am one of those women who occasionally watches The View if they have guests scheduled who interest me. Elisabeth seems like a very nice person but she often offers really stupid political opinions as do all the other women, including Barbara. I’ve been surprised by them when they talk about topics that I’ve followed. They almost never have all the pertinent facts. Btw, Whoopi is not a consistent liberal. She hates paying taxes and I’ve seen her complain bitterly about it several times and I only watch the program occasionally.
Obviously, there are a significant number of people watching The View or ABC would cancel it. Programs that don’t make money don’t stay on the air.
Barbara Walters needs girlfriend rehab:
http://www.mediaite.com/tv/bar.....-a-coward/
If Ms. Alford was telling a story of how a republican president exploited her sexually, BW, Joyless Behar and Whoopie would all be thrilled. Journalist never hold liberal males accountable for anything. If they had reported on John Edward’s affair during the 2008 democrat primary instead of slandering Sarah Palin, Hillary Clinton would have beat Obama by such a large margin even ACORN could not have stolen him the election. Does this story about a J.F.K. surprise anybody? Ted Kennedy got away with leaving a woman to drown at the bottom of a lake and then went on to be the patriarch of the democrat party. And Bill Clinton, another sexual deviant, inserted a cigar into Monica Lewinskis vagina before leaving his DNA all over her dress. Wha t kind of person gets off on something like that? Even Jimmy Carter who is the only democrat that I still hold some degree of respect for, had to give credibilty and promotion to Play Boy magazine by giving them his exclusive interview. Call me old fashioned but I am just to conservative for this crap.
Excellent article and hit all the points. I was working from home and caught the View. I was furious for Mimi Alford by the tasteless and rude treatment as a guest (?) on this show. I’m still simmering, especially when no further apology came forward. If Barbara wanted to express “her view”, she should have done it in a different form than an interview. Shame on her.
Just one more thing to add….
Unfortunately, in writing this piece I chose to link to a ghastly New York Time’s review of “Once Upon a Secret”. I just realized that this review is about as mean-spirited as Barbara Walter’s interview so I’d like to offer up the name of the person who wrote this review – Janet Maslin – as yet another woman in the media who can be added to the “Mean Girl” club. I should have done more than merely skim this article when I chose to link to it and I’m sorry that I missed this the first time around. Amazon would have been a much better choice!
Juliette, again, it’s not liberals versus conservatives. Sexual acting out occurs throughout our society, by men of all political persuasions, and using it as an opportunity to blast the party you hate is obnoxious.
Marlowe
You say it’s not liberals verses conservatives, but give me an example of a republican male getting away with murdering a woman like Ted Kennedy did, or a republican’s affair during a close primary presidential election (as in John Edward’s case) being totally ignored by the main stream media. Bill Clinton’s and the Kennedy’s behavior reeked of arrogance which they had because they are left alone by the media, even protected. To you this seems obnoxious, perhaps because you are still a democrat. But to me the behavior of liberal men is obnoxious, arrogant and is getting worse.
Well Juliette,
I know that there is at least one Republican president who raped his housekeeper (well documented) and ironically the very first women could vote for: Republican womanizer Warren Harding
Anna
You had to jump into a time machine to find that example. I use referrences to presidents and politicians who were in power in my life time. Sadley I voted for Bill Clinton twice, but with age and wisdom my oppinion of him, and the democrat party that enables the horrific treatment of women with impunity, changed. I have to say that I feel much more respected in my new found party. That isn’t to say that my mind could not be changed if an entitled republican elitist leaves a woman at the bottom of a lake to die.
Hi Alison, nicely done! a reader just sent us link to this post and we’ve updated ours on Maslin’s attack on Ms. Alford to include link to this post!
Barb Wawa and Maslin are vultures; hard to watch.
WaWa–shame on you!!!!!
I agree that the behavior exhibited by the politicians was despicable. What I do wonder is how a young woman of nineteen and of such a fine upbringing could not be self aware enough to know that having a sexual relationship with a married man is just wrong.
Not trying to defend kennedy, but im pretty sure Alford wasn’t raped. Im pretty sure she could have avoided it, and im pretty sure she could have said no, but but but she chose to do it. She chose to have sexual intercourse with him, and repeatedly chose to go to him when he called her. 18 months they were having sex, im pretty sure she wouldnt have gone back with him if she didnt enjoy it. i think barbara did an outstanding job. YOU ALL know that Alford will make tons of money because of this book so why hate on reality?
Claire: Alford wasn’t raped, although at one point Kennedy did force a drug upon her which is criminal in itself. I view their relationship, as more of a scenario with a warped power dynamic between the most powerful person in the world and an inexperienced intern. I believe it was her 4th day on the job. Especially during that time period there’s a lot to consider in regard to power and sexual manipulations. I think it’s rather sick to discount her POV because she will make money from her book. Are you willing to discount all memoirs/ autobiographies in which the author makes money from their published work? Or just a woman who was exploited by a Kennedy…
I rarely watch The View as I work 7-5 but today was at home because of a cold. I have to say that maybe Miss Barbara Walters has become senile. The Kennedy family are not Gods – they have done great work – but what happened to Miss Mimi Alford happened and there is no excuse for it. Making a lot of money does not compensate for all the bad memories – a rape is a rape – a sexual harassment is a sexual harassment – no money can erase that very bad memory.
To Mary….Do you really think that Miss Alison didn’t know that having a relationship with a married man is wrong? She was 19 and how old was the President then? Would you care to ask the President (then) that having a sexual relationship with another woman while married is wrong? Hind sight is 20/20 and don’t we all have things in the past we wished we could have avoided, changed or managed properly? If you were never sexually abused you would never understand…..and you will ask, you could avoid it, right? Yes you could say no, and you think the abuser will just say: okay? President Kennedy had her give a blow job to his brother and another male friend while he was watching!!! You think she really enjoyed that and the shame that came with it?!? Surely you would not think so.
It is so amazing to me how people will believe anything they want to believe and swear by it as fact. This woman wrote a book about a man who’s dead and anyone who could dispute what she’s written is dead. I don’t wonder about the timing of her writing this book.
I don’t know if JFK had a affair with her and “made” her do all of the things she said or not. He may have or she may have just decided she needed some money and this would be a easy way to make it because people nowadays tend to believe anything that is written about famous people whether they are men or women. It’s no wonder people like Bernie Madoff and others are able to scam people so easily. For some reason people want to believe whatever is scandalous about others or easy get rich quick schemes. Maybe both of these things make them feel better about themselves.
Read Mimi’s book for the entertainment value, not as a historical treatise.
I think Barbara Walters has the right to interview anyone the way she wants. I found it refreshing that she asked the questions that she did of Mimi Alford. Who really cares that she had an affair with the President? What is the purpose of the book? Finding her voice is no where as impressive as Ms. Alford having such a vivid memory. I think the book is tasteless, poorly written, and makes the author sound like a fool. Why bring this up now after President Kennedy is gone, Jackie is gone, John is gone, Ted is gone, Bobby is gone and the sad list continues. Camelot was created because the public needed to hold onto a dream of hope. It has nothing to do with politics or Democrats versus Republicans. It has to do with people wanting to have a dream. May the Kennedy family rest in peace. And please make women like Mimi Alford stop writing about sexual exploitation and glamorizing rape.
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