 Barbara Walters is known for being TV royalty. I'm sure we can all agree that we remember seeing her on our screens for many years. And with a successful Hollywood career like Barbara's, she afforded herself some luxurious places to call home, including a $10 million penthouse in New York City. However, today, after retiring, her life is very different. Barbara Walters might very well be one of the most famous and influential personalities of the 20th century. Her electric presence was part of the morning ritual for millions of Americans, thanks to her membership on the star-studded cast of The View, a talk show that she herself created. Over the many decades, her career would span as a broadcast journalist, author, and television personality. Barbara would earn a monster net worth estimated to be in the $170 million range. But as impressive as an accumulation of wealth as that is, it's somewhat overshadowed by the sad fact that now, in her early 90s, Barbara's life is falling apart. The icon celebrated her 92nd birthday on September 25th, and according to various news outlets, Barbara would celebrate it all alone. In fact, she's apparently celebrated every single birthday since 2016 by herself, blocked away, hidden from view in her NYC apartment. More than four years after slipping out of the national spotlight, today, Barbara is reportedly suffering from advanced dementia as well as heart problems. What's worse is that outside of contact with her butler, she's apparently living a life of complete solitude. It's a truly tragic final chapter for a woman who, at the very peak of her career, was the embodiment of class and residing in a $10 million penthouse. Hey everyone, it's Kara and today on Famous Entertainment, we'll be getting a glimpse into the homes of Barbara Walters, as well as how different things are for her these days than they used to be. Don't forget to like, subscribe, and hit me up on Instagram to chat. Now let's get into this video. Back in 2013, after more than 50 years spent in the news industry, Barbara Walters announced that she would be retiring from a life in front of the TV cameras. At that time, there were rumors circulating that her memory had begun to decline. There were nothing more than that, rumors. Then, about six years later in October 2019, TMZ would report that Barbara's living situation had become untenable. An insider told TMZ at the time, She has been living her life within the confines of her NYC apartment, showing significant signs of age and receiving almost no visitors. Further sources would clarify that Barbara had become increasingly forgetful and confused over the years and was now refusing to leave her home, afraid that she would fall and hurt herself if she were to do so. Radar Online would later add on to the story suggesting that many of Barbara's friends had not spoken to her in more than two years, not since 2017. Apparently, when a close personal friend tried reaching out to her by email, they received a truly bizarre and curt reply that simply read, Dictated from Barbara, she says thank you. Further reports would suggest that despite the fact her dementia was continually worsening, her caretakers would often give her the opportunity to make everyday decisions. In response, she'd simply stare back at them, not understanding what was being asked of her. And on those rare days when she actually does leave her bed, Barbara spends most of her time gazing out the library window that overlooks Central Park or staring at old pictures of her late dog Chacha. Even when friends do manage to force their way into the premises like say when Whoopie Goldberg stopped by in 2019, things don't go well. Apparently, after Whoopie stopped by for the check-in, it sent Barbara into a screaming fit, one in which no one could calm her down. Whoopie eventually excused herself from the home and left heartbroken by what she had seen. Needless to say, it's a truly tragic conclusion to the story of a woman who shattered the glass ceiling for females in her industry when she became the first woman to co-host a news series on American television. Which is why I'm refusing to end this story here with a look at how Barbara's life is going these days. Instead, I want to take all of you in a time machine and bring you back to Barbara's heyday when she was the hottest news reporter around living in a penthouse suite in NYC that you just have to see to believe. Back in the mid-seventies, just around the time that Barbara first got promoted to her new gig as co-host of The Today Show, she scooped herself up a truly spectacular penthouse that today is worth as much as $10.3 million. Located at 555 Park Avenue, Barbara's former apartment includes 13 elegant rooms including four bedrooms and five and a half baths. Stepping foot off of the private elevator, you're immediately greeted by a large rectangular gallery that leads to all three grand entertaining rooms. One of those grand rooms is a fantastic wood-paneled library that comes with custom built-ins and cabinets, not to mention some gigantic windows through which the views of 62nd Street and Central Park will probably take your breath away. Meanwhile, the nearby living room offers coffered ceilings and a gorgeous wood-burning fireplace. Now, back when Barbara first moved into this co-op, she worked with interior designer Burt Wayne to ensure that it was exactly to her specifications. And while I don't have a ton of pictures to show you from when Barbara actually lived here, I do have a few along with a number of details provided by Burt in terms of what Barbara demanded of him. For starters, when it came time to decorate the living room, Barbara wanted Burt to find a spot for many of her favorite mementos, including a rug from Iran that she bought while she was in the country to interview the former king of the imperial state. On the other hand, the color motifs and the furniture were all recommendations provided by her designer Burt. Speaking at the time with architectural digest, he told them about the room. Such serene classics of modern design as the chairs by Charles Eames become very important. They are the touchstones in her room and they do add the grace notes of timelessness which give a rich dimension to design. When it came time to decorate the dining room, Barbara and Burt settled on a rich tone with fabric-covered walls and a drape table. They wanted to ensure that the room provided an intimate atmosphere in which the art of conversation, Barbara's greatest strength, could flourish. Adjacent to the living room is the master bedroom suite which occupies the northwest corner of the residence and gets some truly picturesque views of Park Avenue. It also just happens to feature a marble en suite bathroom as well as a dressing area with several mammoth closets. As Barbara's place of retreat, the bedroom evokes a different mood from the rest of her house and was a place for her to get away from the studio lights. But most important of all was that Barbara wanted this to be a room that she'd be comfortable waking up in at the ungodly hour of 5 a.m. so that she could make it to the today show on time. Now down a hallway on the south side of the residence, you'll find the rest of the bedrooms in the home which include three gigantic rooms, a large walk-in closet off of the hallway, and a second marble bathroom. Meanwhile, a spacious eating kitchen rounds out the spaces and today this room boasts top-of-the-line subzero fridges two dishwashers and a wine cooler big enough for a whopping 750 bottles. Oh, and there's also a large central island alongside a breakfast nook and a walk-in butler's pantry accompanied by two nearby staff rooms. When Barbara first moved in here back in the 70s, she was extremely enthusiastic about her new home and told Architectural Digest, I'm absolutely in love with it. It's a marvelous, comfortable apartment, not at all pretentious or glamorous. It's just peace. It's also surprisingly flexible. I find I can entertain here very well. The other night, I had 30 people over after dinner and they simply fitted in. And while stories like that are sadly not the norm for Barbara Walters anymore, it's honestly still worth the time and effort to do a deep dive on some of her career to remind yourself just what a trailblazer this woman really was. Alright guys, that'll bring this latest Barbara Walters house tour to a close. Barbara's life taken as a whole is one of the greatest success stories of all time and while she might not be the same person she used to be, she'll always be remembered as an icon by millions of people over the world, including myself. What did you guys think about her New York penthouse? What was your favorite feature? Be sure to let me know down in that comment section.