Jessica Hahn calls out Barbara Walters on "The View"

Barbara Walters

/ AP

(CBS) "The View" is doing a week-long series on "Where Are They Now?" When producers booked Jessica Hahn for Tuesday, they probably weren't expecting her to embarrass Barbara Walters on national TV.

Jessica Hahn came into the public eye after having a sexual encounter with televangelist Jim Bakker in the 1980s. The story broke in 1987, when it was revealed that Bakker had been paying Hahn to keep the encounter a secret. Bakker was forced to resign from the PTL Club, an organization he founded in 1975. Hahn has always maintained that the encounter was a rape.

On "The View" Tuesday, Sherri Shepherd asked Hahn to talk about the "affair." Hahn apparently took offense and turned the question around on Walters.

"This wasn't an affair," she said. "Unlike, I don't want to be cruel or anything, in your book 'Audition,' you had an affair with a senator."

Like the skilled interviewer she is, Babs turned it right back around to Hahn. "This is about you, my dear. This is not about me, OK?"

So a little bite from a guest and a quick smackdown from Barbara Walters. Sounds like "The View" we all know and love.

Hahn was referring to Walters' admission in her autobiography that she had an affair with Massachusetts Sen. Edward Brooke in the 1970s. At the time, Brooke was the first African-American popularly elected to the Senate, and Walters was a rising star in network news.

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[OVER-THE-WEB]

I know Jessica and have for years. Boy could I give Barbara some ammo to fire back at her. Jessica is trash who lived off Ron til the day he died and he DID NOT live with her. She lives with her dogs. He came over to "visit", she always said they were engaged but he had YEARS to marry her and didn't. She has no life, her time is spent online day in and day out 24/7. I and many others have her screen name(s), the server she is always on, her home and cell numbers. Also, her mother didn't die from an eating disorder as they say. After the Baker story broke, well lets just say Jessica has to live with the fact she killed her mom. I have said enough, for her to mouth off to Barbara just shows how tacky Jessica really is.

[not_fooled_by_Righties]

She sure did milk Howard Stern's show for years from that interlude.

She is still probably trying to make money off of that time of her life.

[lonnielocks]

I loved this. Finally, Babs got a taste of her own medicine. Never liked her. She had an affair with a black, married senator? What? Babs, don't do anything nasty like have an affair and then get mad when someone points it out, my dear!

[David_Chowes]

Joy Behar may not be an intellectual -- but, she has more: it's called "street smarts" and plenty of them. Quite funny, as well.

[hazeylee]

"Street smarts" are great IF you know how to use them. She comes across as crass.

[NorthernIllinois]

Is anyone still watching the View? I thought it went off the air years ago.

[JV1970]

You are wrong! Many people still watch it every day! It's still one of the most highly rated talk shows on daytime television. It's second only to Oprah.

[bradkt1]

Is this the same Jessica Hahn that had plastic surgery and posed for Playboy Magazine after crying "rape?"

While I don't doubt that Jim Baker took advantage of her, I don't believe that she was Little Miss Innocent or that she was raped.

[not_fooled_by_Righties]

IMO, she was happy to give it up to Bakker.

Then she decided it wasn't smart to give it away and demanded money like a hooker would.

[David_Chowes]

THE VIEW consists of conversations withe the "regulars" on a rotating basis. The topics are of almost no importance; except for Whoopi Goldberg,Joy Behar (and Ms. Walters -- a co-creater of this money making show), the other regulars are intellectually void and often discuss unimportant and titillating subject matter.

But, it fits the apitite of its audience and brings to Walters, ABC and others an excellent demographic, great ratings, is cheap to produce -- and much revenues.

Compare the content of the view to that of CHARLIE ROSE. Americans must upgrade their educational system.

Huh?

[MrLagg]

Joy Behar intellectual? Better pass me the bong again, 'cause I clearly haven't smoked enough yet.

[bereal77]

Kudo's to Jessica for standing up to Babs!!! she has a tendency to be a big hypocrite and there is such a double standard and talk about going for sensationalism!!! Talk about the cat calling the kettle black! because I did follow the Jessica Hahn story back in the day,I do remember her always saying that she was raped,far cry from a young unscrupulous female who has no respect for ones marriage vows and tries to justify them because she is in it.What? she never thought that some one would have the guts to call her on her stuff? People in glass houses!It is a shame that these are the kind of people who flood our airwaves today! The majority of what is said on the View is very one sided and they like to shout down people who disagree with them and call them names when the truth hits and they get hot under the collar!!!!!

[pallyden0110]

I am sorry, When did rape become an affair? Is Babs now claiming the Senator raped her also, or did she forget what the word rape means?
Babs writes all the questions or she tells the writers what she wants. She owns this show & only a few liberals would ever pretend that she isn't in charge. That only makes them seem stupid, and Babs had Sherri ask the question because she was trying to give herself cover & make the show more "interesting". Ms Hahn correctly knew who it came from & who was in charge. Only an uninformed idiot would she she overreached.

[TeeVee-er]

three fingers pointing backwards, ms. walters