Whatever Happened To Diane Sawyer?
Diane Sawyer used to close out "ABC World News" with her signature sign-off: "I'll see you right back here on ABC News very soon." It wasn't as grandiose as Walter Cronkite's "And that's the way it is" but it didn't need to be. Sawyer's sign-off was subtle and served as a comforting reminder that she was a part of our weekday routine, just like when she co-anchored "Good Morning America" for 10 years.
But then one day, we stopped seeing her and hearing her familiar closing statement. Her appearances on the network that she called home since 1989 became less frequent. For those curious about her whereabouts, here's a look at what Diane Sawyer has been up to over the past several years.
Diane Sawyer left ABC World News in 2014
Diane Sawyer's exit from "ABC World News" wasn't goodbye — it was more like "See you around." Sawyer announced in 2014 that she was leaving "World News" for a new role with ABC that would allow her to focus on investigative specials and newsmaker interviews. "I'm not going far — down the hall, up the stairs," Sawyer said in her last "World News" broadcast. "And I am not slowing down, but gearing up in a new way, already at work on some of the stories that take you into the real lives around us, the ones we rarely get to see."
When Sawyer took over the anchor chair at "World News" in 2009, she became the second woman to serve as a solo network news anchor in the U.S. Her rumored frenemy, Katie Couric, was the first.
Her mother and husband died one month apart
In October 2014, the same year she began a new role at ABC, Diane Sawyer's mother, Jean Sawyer Hayes, died at the age of 94 in Kentucky where she spent three decades as an elementary school teacher.
One month later in November, Sawyer lost her husband of 26 years, Mike Nichols, who died of a heart attack at the age of 83. At the time of his death, the award-winning film director was in the process of adapting the play "Master Class" for HBO with Meryl Streep. Known best as the director of "The Graduate," Nichols was one of several people in Hollywood to reach EGOT status.
For Sawyer, adjusting to life without Nichols was likely made more difficult because they were so deeply in love. They often appeared like a couple forever settled in the honeymoon phase. "He puts little notes in my sock drawer or in my suitcase before I leave for a work trip," Sawyer told Ladies Home Journal in February 2014 (via Us Weekly). "I think one of the most romantic things is simply the way he reaches for my hand all the time."
The truth about her rumored feud with other female journalists came to light in 2014
In her 2014 tell-all book, "The News Sorority," journalist Sheila Weller painted a more competitive picture of Diane Sawyer than we're used to seeing. Weller wrote that Sawyer's husband once warned a public figure that they could no longer be friends if they appeared on the "Today" show with Katie Couric. Weller also reported that Couric was allegedly overheard quipping that Sawyer offered sexual favors in exchange for a high-profile interview. The book also quoted an ABC News staffer as saying, "Barbara [Walters] and Diane were determined to kill each other — to wipe each other off the face of the earth."
It's worth noting, however, that the three women speak highly of each other in public. Sawyer referred to Couric as a "friend" and Couric told Harper's Bazaar, "I think we like each other a lot." Barbara Walters once told USA Today, "I have affection and admiration for Diane," and Sawyer said in her 2001 namesake biography, "We do compete for interviews. But ... Barbara and I do more to maintain a real friendship and camaraderie than a lot of other people in rivalrous relationships."
World News thrived without Diane Sawyer
Diane Sawyer was once voted America's favorite news personality in a Harris Poll, but when it comes to anchoring "World News," people seemed to prefer her younger and hunkier replacement.
Just months into the job, David Muir, nicknamed the "Brad Pitt of news anchors," helped lead "World News" to a fourth-quarter win over NBC's "Nightly News" in the coveted key demo for the first time in seven years. The Muir-led "World News" scored more total viewers than "Nightly News" during the 2016-17 season for the first time since the 1995-96 season.
An unnamed NBC news executive told The Washington Post, "As long as Diane was on the show, they were not going to win. When David Muir filled in [for her], bang, they'd win the day." In Sawyer's defense, "World News" ratings were already on the way up toward the end of her run.
Diane Sawyer's interviews skyrocketed after Barbara Walter retired
Diane Sawyer's name is so synonymous with confessional interviews that when a Channel 4 interviewer asked Robert Downey Jr. about his troubled past, the "Avengers" actor walked out and said, "It's just getting a little Diane Sawyer in here" — referring to her reputation for heavy questions. However, the actor seemed to not mean any harm to Sawyer as he posted a photo of himself with the investigative journalist on Instagram a few days later, captioning, "A corrective experience with legitimate journalism."
Sawyer tightened her grip on the newsmaker interview market in 2014 when competitor Barbara Walters retired. She scored the highly-coveted first interview with Caitlyn Jenner about her struggle with gender identity, which was watched by a whopping 16.9 million viewers in 2015. This was a notable "get" as Jenner was a part of the E! family and had passed over corporate sibling NBC News to sit down with Sawyer.
The next year, Sawyer sat down with Kate del Castillo, the Mexican actress who arranged Sean Penn's controversial interview with drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, and in 2017, she talked to Ashley Judd about sexual assault allegations she had made against Harvey Weinstein.
She spoke at a Nancy Reagan's funeral
With tissues in hand, Diane Sawyer told the audience in attendance at Nancy Reagan's funeral — which included George W. Bush, Michelle Obama, Hillary Clinton, and believe it or not, Mr. T — that she didn't get to know the former first lady until she was far removed from The White House. In 2001, they sat down for a heartbreaking interview wherein Nancy spoke about her husband Ronald Reagan's battle with Alzheimer's and had kept in touch since.
Sawyer, who emceed the former first lady's fundraiser for the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library Foundation in 2005, recalled their many lunches together in Los Angeles and Nancy Reagan's relationship with the media. At Nancy's funeral in 2016 in Simi Valley, California, the journalist made the congregation laugh with fond memories of the former first lady.
"Make no mistake she would bop journalists and I mean bop any journalist in this room ... if she didn't like a report you had done," Sawyer said at the funeral (via The Ronald Reagan Foundation), which also included speeches from family and former NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw.
She spent time investigating the prison system
Talk of Diane Sawyer stepping down to dedicate herself to investigative reporting wasn't just lip service. With "World News" no longer taking up much of her focus, the Peabody Award winner has been able to tackle more time-consuming investigative reporting assignments.
For example, in 2017, Sawyer and her team worked for a year on her eye-opening "20/20" story on ISIS recruiting Americans. She also remains dedicated to investigating the prison systems, even spending seven days inside the Rikers Island jail complex in 2016 for one TV special and visiting four women's prisons over eight months for another story in 2015. Some might remember Diane Sawyer spent the night in a maximum security women's prison in Atlanta in 2004, prison uniform and all, in the name of journalism.
Diane Sawyer inspired a character on The Morning Show
She's one of the most famous journalists of all time, name-checked in everything from "Ted Lasso" to "Drop Dead Gorgeous," so it's not terribly shocking to learn Diane Sawyer inspired a character on a popular show about news television. In an interview with InStyle, Jennifer Aniston revealed her character on "The Morning Show" was directly inspired by Sawyer. "I've known Diane for years, and I had the joy of getting to pick her brain when I was doing research for the show," Aniston shared. "Diane's always been so elegant and classy."
The "Friends" star even went behind the scenes at "Good Morning America," where Sawyer previously worked, to get a feel for the role. Sawyer later visited "The Morning Show" set, as per an Instagram post from Aniston's co-star, Reese Witherspoon. Entertainment Tonight noted the actor shared a shot of the trio hanging out behind the scenes, excitedly writing alongside it, "Look who came to visit us on the set of @themorningshow!" Witherspoon added, "@dianesawyer is a true trailblazer in the world of journalism and such an inspiration to all of us."
Connie Chung spoke out about working with Diane Sawyer
Evidently, Diane Sawyer made more than a few enemies on her way to the top, with Connie Chung also speaking out about their longtime rivalry. During an appearance on "The Originals" podcast in 2020, via Vanity Fair, Chung, who's worked at CBS, NBC, and ABC during her extensive career, criticized Sawyer and Barbara Walters for fostering a toxic work environment at "20/20." Chung recalled how she felt like she was "always playing a game of whack-a-mole. I popped my head up and one of them would have a hammer and go 'whack,' and put me down back in my little hole."
Chung was devastated to be brought down by her colleagues' behavior, admitting she initially thought it was going to be terrific to work so closely with two other women. Unfortunately, Chung was consistently pitted against Sawyer and Walters for airtime. She compared the experience of working with them as "not unlike what Tonya Harding did to Nancy Kerrigan." Although Sawyer hasn't responded as of yet, Walters' rep told TMZ, "Barbara paved the way for every female journalist that came after her. She has been a tremendous supporter for all women."
Diane Sawyer is still the go-to for hard-hitting interviews
Although Diane Sawyer arguably isn't as prominent as she once was, the intrepid reporter remains a go-to source for hard-hitting journalism. Case in point: She sat down with two of the infamous Turpin children, who spoke publicly for the first time after enduring unspeakable abuse. ABC News confirmed the young women had only escaped their house of horrors a few years prior, with the Turpin parents finally tried for their crimes and sentenced to 25 years to life in prison in 2019. Sisters Jennifer and Jordan Turpin had an emotional chat with Sawyer about their traumatic childhood, which included, among other unspeakable acts, food deprivation and physical and emotional torture.
In September 2021, Sawyer sat down with a group of people she'd spoken to 20 years previously for a special edition of "20/20." Per Entertainment Weekly, the news anchor reunited with almost 40 families who had lost beloved patriarchs in the devastating 9/11 attacks and whose lives the "20/20" team continued to monitor closely in the wake of their initial reporting. Likewise, just a couple of months later, Sawyer nabbed another exclusive.
The famed TV journalist expressed a desire to date this beloved TV character
Diane Sawyer is a serious journalist, but, in July 2021, the veteran news anchor proved she's got a great sense of humor, too. According to Entertainment Weekly, hit comedy "Ted Lasso" name-dropped Sawyer in an episode, with Jason Sudeikis' Ted admitting a longstanding crush on the "20/20" stalwart. The hilarious moment happened during the Season 2 premiere when soccer club owner Rebecca Welton, played by Hannah Waddingham, asks Ted what he "would say to a cocktail," and Ted replies, "The same thing I'd say to Diane Sawyer if she ever asked me out on a date. Yes, please."
Sawyer responded to the shout-out on X, formerly, Twitter, quipping, "Dear Ted Lasso. I'm in. Your move," alongside a clip of the moment in question. The official "Ted Lasso" X account subsequently responded in a very Ted-esque manner, writing, "Oh my ... you've got me more on my heels than Lady Gaga at the Met Gala. Any chance you like biscuits?" Hopefully, Ted won't end up facing down Sawyer's legendary glare in a future episode.
Katie Couric reignited their feud in 2021
Katie Couric's 2021 book "Going There" spared nobody, from ex-boyfriends to the British royal family, but she reserved particular ire for longtime rival Diane Sawyer. In fact, the New York Post noted that Couric admitted to being so desperate to come out on top that she once declared, "That woman must be stopped." Couric wrote, "I loved that I was getting under Diane's skin," while also acknowledging the opposite was true much of the time, too. Couric was incredibly jealous of Sawyer, who represented everything she wanted to be.
However, although Couric criticized Sawyer for her allegedly exploitative approach, Couric wasn't expecting her infamous quip about a high-profile interview — "I wonder who she had to b*** to get that" — to gain as much traction as it did. "I'm pretty sure I speak for Diane when I say neither of us ever resorted to actual fellatio to land an interview," Couric clarified, "but we both engaged in the metaphoric kind — flattering gatekeepers, family members, and whoever else stood in the way of a big get."
She wrote and hosted a Love Actually anniversary special
Not all of Diane Sawyer's assignments have been so grim. Many of her interviews have covered fun, endearing topics, like her 2022 program "The Laughter & Secrets of Love Actually: 20 Years Later — A Diane Sawyer Special," which she wrote and hosted. In the program, Sawyer spoke with the cast and crew of the holiday romcom "Love Actually" 20 years after it was filmed. The journalist was able to speak with Emma Thompson, Hugh Grant, Richard Curtis, and more about their experience making the film and why it's had such an enduring legacy. "We forget, time and time again, we forget that love is all that matters," Thompson told Sawyer of why the film has remained so beloved for decades (via ABC News).
The special aired on ABC in November 2022, just as the holiday season was beginning. As she does for most of her special reports these days, Sawyer promoted the program on Instagram ahead of its release. "Hope you'll join us as we discover the secrets and stories behind one of the most beloved Christmas movies of our time — Love Actually. A new look at its hilarity, heartbreak, and lessons of love," Sawyer wrote. Those who watched the special were pleased — it received mostly positive ratings from viewers on IMDb.
Diane Sawyer conducted one of Matthew Perry's final interviews
Any journalist who's been reporting as long as Diane Sawyer has inevitably outlived people they've interviewed, and this has happened to Sawyer multiple times. Recently, it was Matthew Perry. Not only did Sawyer outlive him, she was one of the last reporters to interview him. "We hope you'll join us for my conversation with Matthew Perry — that fast, funny, and original friend we all loved as Chandler Bing," Sawyer wrote on Instagram ahead of the interview's air date. "He shares the truth of what he battled behind the scenes — a kind of riptide of alcohol and pills. He says he wants to send the message to all of those struggling to keep trying and to keep reaching out for help."
Sawyer's interview with Perry aired on October 28, 2022, just before his memoir, "Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing," was released. The conversation between Sawyer and Perry covered the contents of the memoir such as Perry's personal life, his time on "Friends," his relationship with his former co-stars, and his struggle with addiction. Exactly one year after the interview aired on ABC, Perry died at age 54 due to side effects from ketamine use.
Her 2003 Britney Spears interview was rehashed on the internet
Diane Sawyer has interviewed many famous people over several decades, and at times, she has relied on outdated and condescending tactics to extract information from public figures. In recent years, old interviews of celebrities, particularly women, have resurfaced that show interviewers asking inappropriate questions. Diane Sawyer has received criticism for past interviews multiple times, but in 2023, after Britney Spears released her memoir "The Woman in Me," the criticism was particularly heavy.
The controversy ensued with a resurfaced interview between Diane Sawyer and Britney Spears that took place in 2003. While some had commented on the interview long before 2023, what Spears said in her book caused fans to revisit it. "It was completely humiliating," Spears wrote in her memoir. "I wasn't told what the questions would be ahead of time, and it turned out they were 100 percent embarrassing. I was too vulnerable then, too sensitive, to do this type of interview."
Viewers flooded the comment section of the YouTube video, reprimanding Sawyer for asking invasive and inappropriate questions. "This is not [an] interview. This is interrogation! Shame on you Diane Sawyer, you're supposed to be OLD enough to NOT degrade a vulnerable broken young woman like Britney," one comment read. As of this writing, Sawyer has not publicly commented on the interview or apologized to Spears.
Diane Sawyer co-hosted the special On the Brink
Never one to shy away from reporting on polarizing topics, Diane Sawyer returned to her reporting roots for the ABC episode "On the Brink," a special report co-hosted by Sawyer and correspondent Rachel Scott that tells real stories of women and medical practitioners who have been directly impacted by their state's abortion laws following the overturn of Roe vs. Wade. "On the Brink" is part of the series "Impact x Nightline," a Hulu original that features investigation news, interviews, and more. Other correspondents who've been featured on the show include Rebecca Jarvis, Matt Gutman, JuJu Chang, and Linsey Davis. This particular episode aired in conjunction with "ABC World News," which officially marked Sawyer's return to the program for the first time since 2015.
"On the Brink" was a particularly successful episode, and after its premiere on Hulu in December 2023, ABC aired it on network television. "We heard your calls asking for more people to have the chance to see this show. So we hope you'll join us ... for our report on a hidden medical crisis happening in America — harrowing stories of pregnant women with medical emergencies in states with abortion restrictions," Sawyer promoted on Instagram ahead of the special episode.
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