Did you know that after receiving backlash for her infamous 2003 interview with Britney
Spears, Diane Sawyer has stepped away from doing celebrity interviews?
So why else don't you see Sawyer on TV as much anymore?
Keep watching to find out.
In 2014, Diane Sawyer stepped away from her famous anchor seat at ABC's World News.
Her farewell speech hinted that she was ready to move away from the coveted role and eager
to do more exciting fieldwork.
She told the audience during her farewell speech,
"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."
A source close to Sawyer told the Daily News that leaving the desk job was a plan she'd
had in mind for awhile — except the ratings and unnamed ABC executives tell a different
story.
As fellow news anchor David Muir took over, the ratings for the show saw a steady increase.
Audiences seemed to welcome the young, handsome anchor with open arms and connected more to
the revamped style of the show.
An anonymous NBC executive felt like Sawyer's time had hit a ceiling and Muir taking over
was the only way they could win the ratings war.
The 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."
Whether Sawyer left on her own terms or was quietly pushed out is uncertain.
We do know that leaving World News set in motion a major change in her career.
When you've spent your life on television as long as Diane Sawyer has, you're expected
to have plenty of highlights and a couple of lowlights as well.
Viewers were left confused when Sawyer reportedly appeared drunk during her election coverage
in 2012.
She seemed to be slurring her words during the reporting and appeared disheveled on air
the morning after.
As viewers watched this unfold live, many took to social media and wondered if the veteran
news anchor had a serious problem with alcohol or if it was a simple case of an overworked
journalist running on coffee and lack of sleep.
Sawyer was scheduled to deliver seven consecutive hours of on-air coverage during the election
before officially signing off at 2:30 a.m.
That's enough to make anyone loopy!
The source speculated that the star of the network was overworked, taking on a great
deal of reporting while rarely having time for rest in between.
That relentless schedule may have played a part in her wanting to give up the top anchor
seat.
Just days before his 83rd birthday, Sawyer's longtime husband, Mike Nichols, suffered a
fatal heart attack in November of 2014.
Nichols was an award-winning producer and director, known for films like Working Girl
and The Graduate.
"Mrs. Robinson you're trying to seduce me."
As the years went on, Nichols and Sawyer quickly became a power couple in New York and were
always seen at events cheering each other on.
This was Nichols' fourth marriage, but Sawyer famously said that this would be her only
marriage.
She maintained a close relationship with his kids from a previous marriage.
Nichols never shied away from declaring Sawyer as the love of his life, telling New York
Magazine,
"My ultimate happiness began in 1988 when I married Diane."
When her husband fell ill, Sawyer remained by his side until he died.
Sawyer has never publicly spoken about her husband's passing, but a source told the Daily
Mail that one way she coped with the overwhelming grief was by finding inspiration in her work.
Even after the devastating loss of her husband, Diane worked hard and landed the exclusive
interview that introduced Caitlyn Jenner to the world in 2015.
Also, ABC announced that Sawyer landed the first-ever televised interview with Sue Klebold,
mother of Columbine shooter Dylan Klebold.
These big career wins kickstarted the rebirth of Sawyer's time at ABC.
While no longer reporting the nightly news, she instead delivered exclusive interviews
and investigative specials.
One of the things that made Diane Sawyer famous in the world of journalism was landing big-name
interviews for primetime television.
Whether it was political leaders or pop stars, she put them in the hot seat and asked hard-hitting
questions that made for must-see television.
However, Sawyer has found herself in the hot seat as past interviews with Britney Spears
and Janet Jackson have resurfaced and gone viral.
"You did something that caused him so much pain, so much suffering.
What did you do?"
With the release of Hulu's Framing Britney Spears, the public has reexamined her style
of interviewing and deemed it invasive and insensitive.
Sawyer's ability to sternly question celebrities like Whitney Houston about their controversies
was previously celebrated as "real journalism" but now is considered by some to be cruel.
It wasn't just viewers who spoke out against Sawyer.
As Britney Spears regained control of her life, she took to Instagram in an explosive
post calling out Sawyer for that infamous 2003 interview.
The pop star wrote in the caption of the since-deleted post:
"Do we dare forget the Diane Sawyer interview in my apartment almost 20 years ago?
What was with the 'You're in the wrong' approach??
Geeze ... and making me cry???"
Sawyer has stayed mum and remained quiet on social media, even though an army of Britney
fans bombarded her comment sections demanding an official apology for Sawyer's insensitivity.
The 2021 backlash of past interviews might be a reason the journalist took a step back
from chasing high-profile celebrity sit-downs and instead set her focus more on interviewing
regular Americans with real stories to tell.
With over three decades in journalism, Diane Sawyer was bound to make some enemies along
the way.
Though she hasn't publicly addressed any supposed rivalries, countless stories exist about her
bitter feuds with peers like Barbara Walters and Katie Couric, as well as a rumored feud
with Charlie Gibson, reportedly for her being overly competitive.
Connie Chung even compared her time working with Sawyer and Barbra Walters as being in
a, quote, "shark tank."
In 2014, Sheila Weller released The News Sorority, a behind-the-scenes look at the world of journalism,
and Sawyer frequently gets name-dropped throughout.
The Daily Beast uncovered some of the juiciest stories about Sawyer's rivalry with Couric
and Walters.
One ABC News staffer said:
"Barbara and Diane were determined to [...] wipe each other off the face of the earth."
The book also alleges that Couric and Sawyer used nasty tactics to land coveted interviews.
Reportedly, even Sawyer's husband got involved, telling a friend that their friendship would
be over should they agree to appear on Today.
These feuds could possibly be a reason Sawyer stepped away from headlining shows and opting
for a more solo approach to reporting.
Instead of fighting for big interviews, she's able to spend months at a time working on
one story.
After leaving the ABC desk behind, Diane Sawyer didn't completely disappear from television.
She reported important stories, just in a different way.
Sawyer jumped headfirst into fieldwork and headlined specials like My Reality: A Hidden
America.
In 2016, Sawyer even had the chance to interview her fellow ABC colleague Elizabeth Vargas,
who came forward about her battle with alcohol abuse and anxiety.
Vargas spoke openly about how her mental health struggles and stress from her job drove her
to alcoholism.
This interview served as the highly promoted season premiere of ABC's 20/20.
"The truth of the matter is every single alcoholic only has today.
None of us knows what will happen tomorrow."
In November 2021, she once again landed an exclusive interview, this time with the Turpin
children who recounted their story of being held captive by their parents.
Sawyer revealed on Good Morning America that interviewing the Turpin children showed her
the power of resilience, saying:
"I have seen a lot of amazing life come out of unexpected and great suffering.
But these girls ... have a story to tell that's going to teach us something."
These specials once again had Sawyer at the forefront, covering stories that were less
sensational than her celebrity interviews and focused more on heartfelt issues.
Diane Sawyer has been on the frontlines reporting on major events in history, and the veteran
journalist is still at it.
Just two months after the crisis of COVID-19 hit, Sawyer once again grabbed her camera
crew and hit the scene.
She headlined an emotional special titled "Our New Reality" for ABC, documenting the
early life of the pandemic.
She spoke with families, nurses, and scientists to uncover the real toll this virus is taking
on the world.
In September 2021, Sawyer had an emotional reunion with over 40 families who lost husbands
and fathers on September 11.
She'd interviewed them 20 years prior and kept in contact with them throughout the years,
so the special revisited them and covered their growth in that time.
The ABC special titled "The Babies of 9/11: Twenty Years Later" is just one of the specials
Sawyer headlined in 2021.
After leaving ABC World News, Sawyer shifted her work to focus more on the stories and
less on herself.
Her specials only come out occasionally, which is why we don't see her on our screens as
often.
She shifted away from pop culture and celebrity interviews and now takes her time reporting
on stories that matter to her and matter to her audience.
At 76 years old, Diane Sawyer is still at it!
If you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction issues, help is available.
Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact
SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).