Barbara Walters: Paris Hilton Can Cohost The View

The topic of Paris Hilton caused a brief feud between Barbara Walters and her View co-executive producer Bill Geddie on Monday.

At issue: Whether the incarcerated heiress could ever become a cohost on the daytime chatfest.

Speaking together on Walters’s SIRIUS Satellite Radio show Barbara Live, the veteran journalist fielded a question from a listener who asked if Hilton would ever be allowed to cohost the show.

“She would certainly always give us something to talk about,” said Walters, who earlier on that day’s episode of The View had told of her phone conversation with Hilton.

But Geddie was less enthusiastic. “Let me answer that,” he said. “No.” This prompted Walters to respond, “Let me answer that: Yes.”

Geddie insisted his reaction to Hilton was nothing personal. “We’ve been around her,” he said, “and she’s perfectly pleasant.”

By Wednesday, Walters no longer seemed so keen to sign Hilton on. On Ryan Seacrest’s KIIS-FM radio show, Walters was asked if she’d ever try to speak with Hilton again. “I hadn’t really thought about it,” she said. “I wasn’t trying to speak with her [when we did speak].”

Pressed Seacrest, “I would assume that you would be in discussions with her about having that first interview [after she’s out of jail].”

“I have not discussed that,” replied Walters. “We have not discussed an interview.”

People