Barbara Walters has chicken pox, her friend and colleague Whoopi Goldberg announced on The View Monday, Jan. 28. The news comes more than a week after the 83-year-old TV journalist fell and cut her temple during inauguration weekend at the British Embassy in Washington, D.C.
"We want to give you an update on Barbara. You all know that she fell and cut her head 10 days ago, and then was running a temperature, but it turns out it is all the result of a delayed childhood. Barbara has the chicken pox. She'd never had it as a child. So now she's been told to rest," Goldberg, 57, told viewers. "She's not allowed any visitors. And we're telling you, Barbara, no scratching!"
Walters was transferred to a New York hospital late last week. "We love you, we miss you — we just don't want to hug you," Goldberg said in a message to Walters.
In a statement released Jan. 22, Walters said she wanted to "thank all the people who have called, written and been concerned about me." The TV personality — who joined ABC News in 1976 — added that she was optimistic about her health. "Doctors are keeping me in the hospital until my temperature is normal," she said. "I'm pleased to say that it is going in the right direction and I will be home soon."
