Who knew Barbara Walters liked "chocolate"?

By FRAZIER MOORE, AP Television Writer

NEW YORK - After three decades of keeping mum, Barbara Walters is disclosing a past affair with married U.S. Senator Edward Brooke, whom she remembers as "exciting" and "brilliant."

Appearing on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" scheduled to air Tuesday, Walters shares details of her relationship with Brooke that lasted several years in the 1970s, according to a transcript of the show provided to The Associated Press.

A moderate Republican from Massachusetts who took office in 1967, Brooke was the first African-American to be popularly elected to the Senate. Both he and Walters knew that public knowledge of their affair could have ruined his career as well as hers, Walters says.

At the time, the twice-divorced Walters was a rising star in TV news and co-host of NBC's "Today" show, but would soon jump to ABC News, where she has enjoyed unrivaled success. Her affair with Brooke, which never before came to light, had ended before he lost his bid for a third term in 1978.

Brooke later divorced, and has since remarried. Calls to a listing for Brooke in Miami by The Associated Press were not immediately returned Thursday.

Walters is the guest of Oprah Winfrey to discuss her new memoir, "Audition," which covers her long career in television, as well as her off-camera life. On "Oprah," Walters recounts a phone call from a friend who urged her to stop seeing Brooke.

"He said, 'This is going to come out. This is going to ruin your career,'" then reminded her that Brooke was up for re-election a year later. "'This is going to ruin him. You've got to break this off.'"

Winfrey asks Walters if she was in love.

"I was certainly — I don't know — I was certainly infatuated."

"Infatuated."

"I was certainly involved," Walters says. "He was exciting. He was brilliant. It was exciting times in Washington."

Also during the program, Walters chokes up while describing the struggles of her older sister Jackie, who was mentally retarded. Walters confesses that, as a child, she sometimes felt embarrassed by Jackie.

"She stuttered terribly. People made fun of her. People made fun of me," Walters says. "I didn't bring friends home. I felt terribly guilty because she was very loving and I didn't always feel that way."

Jackie Walters died in 1985 of ovarian cancer.

"When I think of her, because she was beautiful and loving and all of that, it makes me cry."

Wow!!

 

wwwoooowww

 

Looks like Baba Wawa was dippin. :lol:

I wonder how many other older WF celebs have some black dick in their closet (not a dildo either)

 

Man, you'd probably be surprised. :shock:

 

I know Iam
:shock: Baba Wawa liked the choco la la

 

I do find it interesting that she could not bring herself to say she was in "love" just, infatuated. Just can't admit to herself and others that she loved a black man.

 

I was thinking the same thing.

 

Baba Wawa was kinda tight back in the day, how could the brutha refuse.
I wonder if there's any chance for a reuniting? :lol:

 

The first woman host on the Today show in love with the first Black Senator since Reconstruction. Who knew? I saw him on C-Span books some months back when he was talking about his autobiography.

 

He looks like Louis Farrahkhan.....interesting :shock:

 

:wink: I agree, that was a luv thang Barbara had going for him. I read somewhere that she demanded he leave his wife or she couldn't see him anymore.

Like most married dudes, he stayed home.

 

I read in the tabloids that Brooke's first wife now deceased hated her til her dying day.

 

One thing is for sure..you never know about people.

 

I saw her on Reliable Sources on CNN this morning. She said Oprah's people brought the news of her relationship between her and Brooke. Also she still has not mentioned if she ever loved him.

 

Barbra Walters

Good for her so glad she did.Would luv to see other white female anchors go Black such as Katie Curic.CNN & other news affilliates sure put out inticing inuindoes such as teaming up white female anchors with Black male anchors or news casters.Its great & I hope it will be the norm in our society.It deffenatly is being tought in our schools at an early age & should be,its long overdue.