Barbara Walters retiring from television

Barbara Walters looks back at her legacy in part one of her interview with Bill

This is a RUSH transcript from "The O'Reilly Factor," May 15, 2014. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

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O'REILLY: Thanks for staying with us. I'm Bill O'Reilly. In the "Personal Story" segment tonight, Barbara Walters.

At age 84, she's retiring from television, giving up moderating The View and her ABC News specials. Now, I've known Ms. Walters for many years and have had many interesting conversations with her.

I believe the one tonight will fit in to that category as well. We spoke on Tuesday.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

O'REILLY: Are you an introspective woman.

BARBARA WALTERS, BROADCAST JOURNALIST AND TV PERSONALITY: I do a lot of could have, should have, would have. Could have done that, should have done that.

I look back. I should not. There are people, especially men, I think, who do not look back. They just look forward. Do you. What do you do.

O'REILLY: I don't know. I'm delirious most of the time.

(LAUGHTER)

But here's why I ask that question.

WALTERS: Yes.

O'REILLY: You are the most successful woman television journalist of all time.

WALTERS: Oh.

O'REILLY: Stop, stop.

WALTERS: OK.

O'REILLY: All right, it's beyond -- it's not even close, all right -- the most successful --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

-- woman journalist of all time. Did you ever think about why, what made you be in the business for 50 years and succeed to that extent. What is it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALTERS: I never thought that it was going to happen, so it's not as if I had a plan.

O'REILLY: But it did happen.

WALTERS: But I had to work. That makes a difference. I couldn't stay home with mummy and daddy. I had to work so I could work my way up.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

I had to support my family for a while. That made a difference. And, I don't know what it is. Ambition sounds so bad.

O'REILLY: Oh, you're ambitious.

WALTERS: Inspiration sounds better.

O'REILLY: No, no, no. You're ambitious. I've known you for a long time. And you're very hardworking.

So, was it hard work. Was that what it is that puts you over the top.

WALTERS: Hard work helps. Hard work means weekends. Hard work means, sometimes difficulties in your personal life.

O'REILLY: Yes, you sacrificed in your personal life to become professionally successful. Everybody knows that you have to do that at this level.

How much talent do you have. How much innate talent.

WALTERS: I would have said very little.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WALTERS: I'm sorry, I stepped on my skirt. Let's start it again.

But I realized that I'm good with questions. I'm curious and I'm a wonderful editor.

Give me a piece of tape, give me a piece of film. I love to edit. It's like putting a puzzle together.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

So, that helps when I prepare interviews. So, do I have an enormous talent, no. Do I have some talent, yes.

O'REILLY: You have courage though, I think.

WALTERS: I have a great deal of courage in my professional life.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

I'm not afraid to go anywhere. I'm not afraid to interview anyone. I'm not afraid to ask questions, although I try to save the toughest for last. I mean, I asked Vladimir Putin if he ever killed anybody.

WALTERS: Did you ever order anyone killed.

VLADIMIR PUTIN, PRESIDENT, RUSSIA: Yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALTERS: It was a last question.

O'REILLY: Yes, because you didn't want to get killed in the interview, so I understand --

WALTERS: I didn't mind getting killed. It would have made a big story. I didn't want him to walk out.

O'REILLY: Because I think you are courageous in the sense that you had to take a lot of flack in your career. And I never see -- I know it bothers you personally because you're very sensitive. I think you're too sensitive, by the way, Ms. Walters.

WALTERS: Why.

O'REILLY: I just think you're too sensitive. I think that, sometimes, --

WALTERS: About what. Give me an example.

O'REILLY: -- you internalize things that you shouldn't and --

WALTERS: Yes?

O'REILLY: Yes. Because I can see it, sometimes, on The View and in your interviewing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WALTERS: Fine.

O'REILLY: But you're tough. I mean, you're not some namby-pamby out there. But, sometimes, you take things the wrong way.

However, however, you are, as I stated, the most successful female journalist ever.

WALTERS: I'm laughing because --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

-- I want to thank you for the psychoanalysis.

(LAUGHTER)

O'REILLY: Well, it's OK. You'll get a bill after the program. I mean, I do that for a lot of people.

WALTERS: Who needs therapy when you can talk to Bill O'Reilly.

O'REILLY: You don't, you don't. You come on THE FACTOR once a week, you'd be fine.

(LAUGHTER)

OK, I can't believe you're 84 years old. I can't believe it.

WALTERS: I'm not sure I am.

O'REILLY: Yes, you're 84.

WALTERS: I've been so busy lying about my age, my daughter's age, everybody's age.

O'REILLY: And here's why I can't believe it. Because your energy level is so high, all right. So, tell me how your energy level is so high.

WALTERS: I don't know. It just --

O'REILLY: Oh, come on. Come on.

WALTERS: How can I tell you.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

I don't take pills. I don't -- I don't know. I'm healthy and I'm -- I think I'm sane.

O'REILLY: Do you sleep a lot. Do you get a lot of sleep.

WALTERS: I love to sleep.

O'REILLY: So, how many hours of sleep.

WALTERS: It depends. I did Good Morning, America the other day. I had four hours of sleep.

O'REILLY: All right, regular day.

WALTERS: Eight hours.

O'REILLY: All right. So, you sleep, on a regular basis. How about diet.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALTERS: I really do feel that I'm on the end with -- yes --

O'REILLY: How about diet. Do you eat everything you want.

WALTERS: I eat everything, yes.

O'REILLY: OK, you don't have any special diet.

WALTERS: No.

O'REILLY: OK. So, basically, you're lucky you have DNA --

WALTERS: Yes.

O'REILLY: -- you have DNA --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WALTERS: I have good genes.

O'REILLY: Right.

WALTERS: I used to see a commercial sometimes --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

-- and it showed a woman walking down a flight of stairs and she said, "Hello, I'm 70 years old and I have arthritis." And I -- you know, you've seen those ads.

And I think I'm lucky because I never felt that way. I never looked that way. It's going to happen. Maybe it happened five minutes ago. But being in good health is a big part of it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'REILLY: Now, we'll have part two with Ms. Walters tomorrow. Politics, we asked her about the war on women and things get a little emotional.

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