Oprah Winfrey paid tribute to Barbara Walters on Friday. “She was a pioneer.” The former “Oprah” anchor, 68, listed things she was “grateful” for from knowing Walters. Oprah Winfrey paid tribute to Barbara Walters on Friday. Without Barbara Walters, neither would I nor any other woman on evening, morning, and daily news, Winfrey wrote on Instagram. “She was a pioneer.”