Hallmark Stars Mourn Legendary Icon’s Death: ‘You Changed My Life Forever’

The death of a legendary celebrity has left many Hallmark stars heartbroken. Barbara Walters died at the age of 93, and fellow stars are remembering how she impacted their lives.

The creator of “The View” and longtime news anchor died in her New York City home on December 30, 2022, surrounded by loved ones, TMZ reported. She had been facing health problems for a few years and hadn’t been seen in public since around 2016.

Debbie Matenopoulos Said Walters Changed Her Life

Debbie Matenopoulos, co-host of Hallmark’s “Home & Family” before it was canceled, was also a co-host of “The View” with Walters. Matenopoulos wrote in an Instagram post, “I was 22 years old when you chose me to sit next to you on The View and you changed my life forever.”

She said Walters told her she would be perfect for the show when Matenopoulos said the three most important people in the last century were Albert Einstein, Bill Gates, and Madonna.

“You taught me everything I know about interviewing people and about doing live TV,” she continued. “You taught me how to be professional on a set and in just about any life situation I could ever be in. I learned so much simply by watching you and being in your presence.”

Matenopoulos went on to share that Walters is her fairy godmother and her hero.

“You are THE reason any female journalist and any female tv personality for that matter has the opportunities they have today,” she wrote. “You broke glass ceilings.”

Cameron Mathison, who co-hosted “Home & Family” with Matenopoulos, replied, “🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼.”

In her memoir, Walters wrote that Matenopoulos was a little too young for her role on the view, but she matured into a successful TV host as the years went on, Cheatsheet reported.

“In 2006, during our ninth year of ‘The View,’ Debbie came back as a guest host,” Walters wrote. “She had grown up to be a most charming woman. She was married and a cohost of ‘The Daily 10’ on E! … ‘The View’ had, after all, helped  to launch her career, and that made me happy.”

Since her Hallmark series was canceled, Matenopoulos has been busy, including launching a lifestyle series on the Great American Family app. Her series is called “The Modern Mom with Debbie Matenopoulos,” and features “delicious easy-to-master recipes, fashion and beauty advice, and all the tips and tricks she has learned in her two-decade career being a television host and lifestyle expert.”

‘What a Legacy,’ Holly Robinson Peete Shared

Hallmark star Holly Robinson Peete remembered Walters as a legend.

She wrote on Twitter, “I was always proud to say I graduated from Sarah Lawrence College bc she went there & I had the chance to laugh w/ her about us both living in the same dorm room…Just a few decades apart (;Like Oprah said she kicked doors down! What a legacy💔.”

She also shared how Walters was celebrated on her last day on “The View” and wrote, “Now these are FLOWERS.”

Trevor Donovan, who has starred in both Hallmark and Great American Family movies, shared a Saturday Night Live sketch about Walters and tweeted, “#RipLegend Barbara Walters.”