Cheri Oteri Shares Barbara Walters Memories With Andy Cohen and Anderson Cooper – She Was the ‘Fabric of My Childhood’

Saturday Night Live alum Cheri Oteri originally planned to deliver her iconic Barbara Walters impression on CNN’s New Year’s Eve broadcast. But after learning of Walters’ passing, only hours before the broadcast, Oteri shared her heartfelt memories of Walters, joking that she planned a bit “as Barbara having her own podcast and promoting it.”

“Because if she could, she probably could have had a podcast,” Oteri told hosts, Andy Cohen, and Anderson Cooper. Oteri recounted how important Walters was to her, long before she was asked to create her beloved impression on SNL. And revealed what it was like to deliver that memorable interview on The View, where Oteri interviewed Walters as Walters.

Cheri Oteri ‘studied’ Barbara Walters ‘like I never studied somebody before’

Oteri shared how she reacted when asked to build her Barbara Walters character for SNL. “She was just like such a part of the fabric of my childhood. For every newsworthy memory, she was there,” Oteri recalled. “So when I was on SNL and I was asked to do her, I was like, Oh my God, that’s such a big responsibility. I didn’t want to do it. But then I was like, wait a second, that would be such an honor.”

“So I studied her like I never studied somebody before,” she shared. “And then to have her blessing and be on The View. I was just in awe. She just broke every journalistic barrier for women. And here she is asking me, ‘Cheri, how do you do me?’ And I wasn’t ready for that question. I just kind of blurted out, ‘Well, actually, Barbara, when you do an interview, usually you give three compliments and then go in for the kill.”

Cheri revealed a hilarious behind-the-scenes moment before the iconic Barbara Walters interview

Oteri even gave viewers a small taste of Walters by delivering a hilarious line of questions she might have. “‘You’re a New York Times bestselling author. You’re an accomplished and celebrated culture pianist and a three-time Academy Award-winning actor. Why the porn?'” Oteri joked as Walters.

She then revealed that The View producers weren’t going to allow her to interview Walters as Walters during her farewell episode. “When she was leaving The View, the producers asked me if there is something that I’d like to do, and I said my dream would be to interview her as her. And they said, that’s not going to happen,” Oteri said. But a week later Oteri found herself face to face with Walters, both dressed in matching pink suits delivering the historic and hilarious interview.

Oteri also recalled the surreal moment sitting across from Walters, looking exactly alike. But before cameras rolled, Walters kept calling for her hair stylist to fix her hair more than once. “We’re getting on our mics, and she looks in her monitor and was like, ‘What the –? I’m a mess! Why won’t someone fix my hair?!'”

Andy Cohen reveals Barbara Walters ‘didn’t love’ Gilda Radner’s ‘SNL’ impersonation

Cohen revealed that Walters “didn’t love” the first impersonation delivered by SNL‘s Gilda Radner. “When I got her blessing, it just meant the world to me,” Oteri said. “Because you want to be respectful. And I thought I need to have a totally different take on it. And so I studied how she was able to let people take the walls down, and it was really giving them compliments, honest compliments on what they’ve accomplished.”

“She had that ability to peel back the layers, the walls that people had up by making sure that they were seen and their accomplishments were seen. I think that’s why she could go in for the kill,” Oteri laughed. “But they just trusted her because she had such integrity. She was a professional. And then to see her on The View having some fun was so nice. I love that woman. And I’ll tell you, I just feel like I was so lucky and grateful that I got to step into the shoes that no one will ever fill.”