How Lindsay Lohan Got On Barbara Walters' Bad Side

On December 30, 2022, Barbara Walters died at the age of 93. As host of popular programs such as "Today," "20/20," and "The View," the journalist was incredibly accomplished and left behind a legacy. Walters' career influenced other notable journalists, such as Hoda Kotb and Savannah Guthrie.

Interviewing high-profile celebrities and public figures, Walters wasted no time getting to the heart of very serious topics. However, her bold and thorough approach to interviews didn't always feel so easy breezy. In an appearance on "The Oprah Winfrey Show," an audience member asked Walters if she ever asked a question she later regretted. Walters replied, "Yes, every time. I'm a big 'coulda shoulda woulda.'" She added, "And my idea of hell is that I finish doing an interview and someone says, 'Did you ask such and such?' and I think 'I didn't ask that.'"

Back in 2012, one celebrity got on Walters' bad side. But it wasn't because Walters' blunt style turned them off. Let's just say that there were some tough questions Walters never got to ask.

In 2012, Lindsay Lohan canceled her interview with Barbara Walters for ABC's "20/20." On an episode of "The View," Walters, creator and co-host of the show, described her disappointment. Ahead of the interview, Walters had talked to Lohan on the set of "Liz & Dick," which starred Lohan as Elizabeth Taylor. For the main interview, Walters was set to discuss the similarities between Lohan and Taylor's lives. She claimed she had done extensive preparation for Lohan's appearance on "20/20." However, according to Lohan's PR team, "Lindsay [didn't] feel up to it," Walters noted.

Yet there was a plot twist that further exacerbated Walter's annoyance. At that time, Lohan decided to do an interview with Jay Leno. As Walters aired her frustrations, Whoopi Goldberg chimed in, "You are a very different kind of interviewer and it is a whole other kind of relationship and I'm sure that — and I feel very strongly — her new people probably said, 'You know what? We are not up for you to do the interview that you will be doing with Barbara.'" Walters agreed with Goldberg, but explained that she would've appreciated a more straightforward response from Lohan's team.

There may have been another reason why Lohan opted out of the interview. At the time, insiders told TMZ that Walters planned to grill the actor about accusations that she lied to cops about a June car accident.

Jay Leno wasn't the only talk show host to interview Lindsay Lohan in 2012. That year, Lohan appeared on ABC's "Good Morning America" to promote "Liz & Dick." In fact, the host mentioned similar points that Barbara Walters planned on bringing up in her canceled interview, including her childhood stardom and public scrutiny. Lohan revealed, "I was lucky enough 'cause I do relate to Elizabeth Taylor in a lot of ways."

Although Walters once missed her chance to interview Lohan about her role in "Liz & Dick," she still has had opportunities to sit down with the "Mean Girls" star. In an appearance as a guest co-host on "The View," Lohan talked about her docuseries and misconceptions people have about her. Of course, Walters didn't shy away from asking her more intimate questions. When Walters asked Lohan about her relationship with her parents, Lohan replied, "Everyone's in a good place right now. I think a lot of it was me taking time for me and stepping back and not getting involved."