♪ this is "nightline." >> tonight, remembering barbara walters. she was a trailblazer whose unforgettable interviews are etched in american history. >> i'm going to ask you a terrible question. did you ever order anyone killed? did you ever tell bill clinton that you were in love with him? >> yes. >> what did he say? >> changing the face of broadcast news. influencing generations of journalists. >> you're really the reason why we're all here. >> a look back at her extraordinary life and career. plus suspect arrested. a major break in the idaho murders investigation. >> this is not the end of this investigation.

in fact, this is a new beginning. >> six weeks of agonizing waiting. >> detectives arrested 28-year-old bryan christopher kohberger. >> a ph.d. student in criminology. >> these murders have shaken our community, and no arrest will ever bring back these young students. >> what led them to the suspect? do you struggle with occasional nerve aches in your hands or feet? try nervivenerve relief from the world's #1 selling nerve care company. nervive contains alpha lipoic acid to relieve occasional nerve aches, weakness and discomfort. try nervivenerve relief. this cough. [sfx: coughs] this'll help. vicks vaporub? vicks vaporub's ...medicated vapors go straight to the source of your cough... ...so you can relieve your cough to breathe easier. vicks vaporub. fast-acting cough relief.

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♪ good evening and thank you for joining us. i'm phil lipof. we begin with the life and remarkable legacy of our barbara walters. the broadcast legend died peacefully tonight surrounded by loved ones. walt disney ceo bob iger saying in a statement tonight, "barbara was a true legend, a pioneer not just for women in journalism but for journalism itself." here's abc's robin roberts. >> reporter: she was a reporter. a trail blazer. and a star. >> are you ready? we're all set? okay, here we go. ready? you ready? you ready? >> reporter: barbara walters, our barbara, was effortlessly stylish, endlessly fearless, and never afraid to ask the question many wanted answered. >> you found yourself alone with bill clinton in the chief of staff's office, and you lifted

the back of your jacket, and you showed the president of the united states your thong underwear. where did you get the nerve? i mean, who does that? >> reporter: over 60 years of broadcasting, she used the question mark to build a legendary career. >> did you get married to prove that you were not gay? >> no, i got married because -- i didn't confront the real problem in my life, that i was a drug addict. >> there are those that would say that you add to the attention. >> no, i don't. >> well, the masks. the mysterious behavior. >> there's -- no, there's no mysterious behavior. >> why did you kill john lennon? >> i thought by killing him, i would acquire his fame. >> you cry on this program, i won't run any of it. you promised me you wouldn't cry.

>> reporter: in the new business of television, the screen was glass and so, too, was the ceiling. barbara broke through both and became the most important woman pioneer in the history of tv news. >> the fact that i ended up on television? never, ever thought that would happen. >> reporter: she began working in television in the early '50s at a time when nearly half the homes in the country didn't even own one. she got her start off camera at local stations in new york, working her way up to a job as a writer on nbc's "today" show. >> they had to have one female writer. she did the tea pouring, as i call it. she did the fashion shows. she did the celebrities. >> reporter: barbara walters proved that there was room on the small screen for more than just men. >> barbara is with me right now to give us a film report. would you tell me, was this a very trying experience for you? >> oh, thank you, it was awful. i mean, first of all, every day i had to go and look at fashion

shows. then i had to have lunch at maxine's and drink champagne. and then i had to smell all the perfume at dior. it was so trying that i took absolutely the very last plane i could to get back here today. >> reporter: at first, most of the work she was assigned to do was less than serious. >> we're going to be talking about something very feminine right now, fashion. this year, vinyl is the most exciting new fashion fabric. it was the prevalence of pants -- >> as the "today" reporter, i did several stories. one was the day in the life of a playboy bunny. >> it's like a ballet movement. >> yes. >> reporter: but her first on-air report on a national news event came on an historic day in november of 1963. >> one group of young men kept a very special vigil. these are the honor guards who have been guarding the casket of president kennedy. >> reporter: soon she became a

regular. >> good morning, i'm frank mcgee and barbara walters is here -- >> frank mcgee went to the head of the network and said that i could not ask the hard news questions, they all had to be done by him. and what they finally decided to do was that he could ask four questions, and then i could come in and ask one. if i could do the interview outside of the studio, it was mine. so i started to look for interviews outside of the studio. >> mr. secretary, this brings up one of the criticisms about you today, and that is people say henry kissinger deals in excessive secrecy. >> when you were a child and you were different from the other kids, did they make fun of you? >> what are you the least tolerant of these days? >> lies. or foolishness. >> this morning we mourn the death of our dear friend and our most respected colleague, frank mcgee. >> when frank mcgee died, i became cohost. from then on, i think up to

today, the women on the morning shows are cohosts. that's a nice legacy to have. >> reporter: as the first woman cohost of a morning show, the other networks took note. so in 1976, abc trailing in the ratings behind the other two networks sought to raise its profile by luring away one of its competitor's biggest stars, the last place network came calling with an offer she could not refuse. it would change her life and the business of tv news. >> barbara walters, who has been on the nbc "today" program for 13 years, signed a contract with abc today. >> reporter: it was more than double the salary of the most famous anchor of the day, walter cronkite. >> her contract, a rumored million dollars a year, specifies she'll coanchor the "abc evening news" among other network appearances. >> reporter: walters becomes the first woman to be an evening news anchor on network television and the highest-paid journalist. >> in those days, nobody thought it was possible.

>> harry reasoner, barbara walters, bring you the news. >> i have a new colleague to welcome. barbara? >> thank you, harry. >> reporter: the brash woman from another network's morning show making more money than the man who had been happy doing the job alone. not exactly a recipe for success. >> i've kept time on your stories and mine tonight. you owe me four minutes. >> harry reasoner did not want to partner, and he certainly didn't want a woman. >> reporter: he wasn't joking. the reluctant partnership became a national punchline. >> i have to shoot an arrow into barbara walters. >> you mean you're making her fall in love with harry reasoner? >> no, harry just paid me to shoot her. >> i remember reading the headline in one of the papers, "barbara walters failure." at the same time i was doing these specials which had been an afterthought. >> countdown four, three, two, one -- ♪

>> the barbara walters special. >> the specials saved my life. because they took on a role of their own. people liked them. >> what's the biggest misconception about you? >> um -- i think the biggest misconception is that i'm a bitch, maybe people think that. >> why do they think that? >> because i'm just like you, i have standards. >> i interviewed fidel castro and spent almost a week with him. also, i spent a great deal of time in the middle east and did the first and almost the only interview that the prime minister of israel, begun, did with president anwar sadat of egypt. they had never talked together before until this interview. >> good evening. i'm hugh downs. >> i'm barbara walters, and this is "20/20." >> reporter: it would become her home for the next 25 years. and she broke yet another record with the most-watched television news interview. >> did you ever tell bill

clinton that you were in love with him? >> yes. >> you did. what did he say? >> he said, "that means a lot to me." >> did he ever tell you he was in love with you? >> no. >> reporter: there was no question, it seems, she wouldn't ask. >> i'm going to ask you a terrible question. did you ever order anyone killed? >> nyet. >> are you sorry you didn't burn the tapes? >> yes, i think so, because they were private conversations subject to misinterpretation, as we have all seen. >> reporter: whether ex-presidents, sitting presidents, or future presidents, none escaped the tough questions. >> shall we begin the torture? >> yes, that's why we chose you. >> you maintained your courteous relationship, even your friendship, over these years with president nixon. >> if he'd killed any of the hostages, you would then have attacked militarily? >> absolutely. >> we are on the verge of a recession, if we're not already there.

we see our educational program failing. we see our competitiveness in doubt. do you feel any responsibility for this? >> are you sorry that you ever said "read my lips, no new taxes"? >> mr. president, how important is it for the president to be a role model? >> was it worth it if there were no weapons of mass destruction? now we know that that was wrong. was it worth it? >> mr. president, there are some folks who say that you squandered your political capital with the health care plan when you should have been focusing on jobs. >> how can you unify the country when you make these divisive statements? >> reporter: but the show she may have been most proud of was the pioneering daytime talk show "the view." >> there had not been a show with a group of people sitting together and talking unscripted. it's a great place to express yourself, give opinions, show the kind of person you really are. >> we want to give our kudos to barbara walters. this is the house that barbara walters built.

>> reporter: you know, looking back, perhaps barbara walters put it best. >> i have been blessed with a life i never expected. and helping me up the steps of the ladder over the years have been hundreds of people. >> reporter: any newswoman on tv walks in formidable footsteps and is without question in her debt. >> because you're really the reason why we're all here. you're the reason why i wanted to be in television. >> reporter: and many of us pay tribute to her in person when she retired from "the view" in 2014. >> and we all proudly stand on your shoulders, barbara walters, as we honor you. please welcome robin roberts! diane sawyer! lara spencer! >> i never set out to be a trailblazer. i never said "i'm going to do this for women." i guess it's what had to be done.

i want to be remembered in television maybe as a creator, maybe as a good newswoman. no, more than being remembered, i hope that by younger women, i can help them aspire. >> i just want to say, this is my legacy. these are my legacy. and i thank you all. >> our thanks to robin for that. we'll have much more on barbara's passing on "good morning america." and watch the "20/20" special on sunday night "our barbara." coming up, police make an arrest in the murder of four university of idaho students.

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♪ ♪ police arrest a suspect in the murders of four university of idaho students that stunned the nation and rocked the tiny community of moscow. authorities have not revealed a possible motive just yet. what the families of the victims are saying tonight. here's abc's kayna whitworth. >> reporter: nearly seven weeks after the stabbing deaths of four college students in idaho, a break in the case that has gripped this nation. police arresting a suspect, ph.d student bryan kohberger. >> in conjunction with the pennsylvania state police, the federal bureau of investigation, detectives arrested 28-year-old

bryan christopher kohberger in albrightsville, pennsylvania, on a warrant for murders of ethan, xana, madison, and kaylee. >> reporter: in a chilling twist, police say the alleged killer studies criminology at washington state university in pullman. his apartment just over the state border, 15 minutes away from the crime scene. investigators tracking kohberger 2,500 miles away to the pocono mountains in pennsylvania. sources say police linked kohberger to the crime in part through dna technology and tracked through his car. >> i will say that we have found an elantra. >> reporter: kohberger graduated from desales university in pennsylvania. the father of kaylee telling us when this suspect gets to idea, he will be waiting. >> this guy's going to have to look he in my eyes and i'm going to be looking for the truth.

>> reporter: tonight, ethan chapin's family saying they were confident police would solve the crime. "we're relieved this chapter is we are relieved this chapter is over because it provides a form of closure. out of, it doesn't alter the outcome or leave yate the pain." the crime sending a jolt of fear in this town, many students fleeing campus as police patrolled around the clock. investigators faced intense pressure to solve the case. >> we just want this person found so bad. >> reporter: tonight the motive remains a mystery. >> what i can tell you is we have an individual in custody who committed these horrible crimes, and i do believe our community is safe. >> our thanks to kayna. up next, our final thought for 2022. but when you can barely smell your plug-in, what are your guests smelling? febreze fade defy plug works differently.

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♪ finally tonight, we will close out this broadcast by acknowledging and thanking all those who make this show possible. we wish you a safe and happy new year. good night and happy holidays. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

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