Barbara Walters just told President Barack Obama she's retiring next year ... this according to a source who heard Barbara say it.

Barbara just finished interviewing the Prez at the White House.  According to the source, during a break in the action, Barbara leaned over to Obama and said, "I need one more interview with you because I'm retiring next year."  Here's the thing .. Barbara's mic was open when she said it, and lots of people were listening.

Barbara still does specials for the network, in addition to "The View."  Her "Most Fascinating People" show aired last night -- Obama was NOT on her list.

We called ABC News for comment, but so far ... nothing.


12:00 PM PT: Jeff Schneider, Sr. VP of ABC News, just got off the phone with Walters and told us,  "Barbara has joked that she is retiring every year since the Clinton Administration. Anyone who just did a day trip to Syria, 90-minute prime time special and an interview with the President and First Lady hardly sounds like someone retiring from anything." 

We asked if she fibbed to Obama to get another interview, and Schneider laughed, saying, "She's one of the greatest bookers who ever lived."

Casey Anthony's attorney Jose Baez tells TMZ, he didn't meet with Barbara Walters to discuss a possible Casey interview -- he and Babs simply got together to chew over a new Broadway play.

You'll recall ... TMZ posted a video this morning of Jose and Barbara leaving a Manhattan restaurant last night -- with Walters bristling at Jose's attempt at a PDA.

Seemed pretty obvious Barbara was trying to butter Jose up to score the first interview with Casey Anthony -- but Jose tells us, “Last night was not about [Casey], we were all discussing the play (Man and Boy). Frank Langella was captivating!”

Jose and Barbara did see the play together -- but do we honestly think Barbara squandered her precious time to discuss it? Frankly ... no way, Jose.

Casey Anthony's attorney, Jose Baez, had dinner with Barbara Walters Sunday night.  She was clearly trying to butter him up for an interview with his infamous client ...  but when Jose went in for the hug, Barbara blanched.

Baez, his wife, Walters and Frank Langella (they had just gone to see his play) all dined at Orso in Manhattan for Jose's birthday. Our photog tried getting details about a possible asking price for the interview -- but no one was talking.

According to our sources, Casey isn't ready to tell her tale just yet. Clearly BW wants dibs.

When everyone says their goodbyes, and Jose goes to hug Barbara ... she shoos him away, saying, "No, no, no. Don't do it."

Clearly she didn't want TMZ getting the "money shot."

Paris Hilton couldn't handle some tough questions from Barbara Walters on "The View" this week -- and threw a tantrum backstage after it was all said and done.


Walters went after Paris for bitching about having to do 200 hours of community service. And Babs scoffed at Paris' claim she wanted to help women by doing charity work. Walters wondered aloud why Paris didn't show any of her charity work on her show: "Why not present that side of yourself, if indeed it exists?"

After the segment, Paris and her dad, Rick, berated producers backstage over the tone of the interview, so says the NY Post. A rep for the show confirmed the incident, but Paris was mum.

Paris had reason to feel blue. The ratings for "The World According to Paris" -- not so hot.

Something stinks on "The View" ... and it's Whoopi "Cushion" Goldberg.



The ladies were hanging with Dr. Oz yesterday ... when he asked if any of the women had tore some ass during the segment.

Whoopi's hands shot up ... as she proclaimed, "There is more room out than in!"

Ya gotta check out Barbara's face ... classic.

Oprah Winfrey is finally talking about the subject that dare not speak its name, her longtime partner since 1986 ...  Stedman Graham -- revealing that he's still her "lover" and "mate."


In a Barbara Walters interview airing Thursday, Oprah says that despite rarely being seen in public together, Stedman is still  "the love ... the lover ... the man ... the partner ... the mate" of her life.

Oprah adds that she doesn't know of another man that could have lived this life with her "and still hold his own and be his own." Interestingly, OWN is the name of the Oprah's new television network.

Whoopi Goldberg claims she walked off the set of "The View" last week to keep herself from "cussing out" Bill O'Reilly on live TV ... an excuse that still didn't fly with Barbara Walters.


The ladies launched right into the controversy on this morning's show -- with both Whoopi and Joy insisting they were "glad" that they left.

But Babs -- still upset with the way things went down -- said, "You don't walk out of your own home ... you can walk out of somebody else's home ... but you don't walk out of your own home."

As we previously reported, all hell broke loose on Thursday's show after O'Reilly stated "Muslims killed us on 9/11." O'Reilly has stood by his statements.

Sherri Shepherd isn't finished with Bill O'Reilly for the things he said on "The View" -- telling TMZ his comments about the mosque at Ground Zero land him straight in the "pinhead category."



Shepherd was at LaGuardia Airport yesterday, where she also insisted that Bill knew what buttons he was gonna push when he said, "Muslims killed us on 9/11."

As for dirty details from the set of "The View" -- Sherri seems to be under a gag order ... telling us, "I can't talk about that."

We're guessing the powers that be are holding that story for Monday's show ...

Unlike the news she reports, Barbara Walters never gets old.


Here's the 55-year-old broadcast legend back in 1985 (left) -- and 25 years later, the 81-year-old version at an event in NYC this week (right).

What a "View."

Barbara Walters announced this morning that she will be undergoing heart surgery later this week.

During today's episode of "The View," Walters said she will be having a defective heart valve replaced. She told viewers, "You know how I always say to you how healthy I am ... I've never missed a day's work ... later this week, I'm going to have surgery to replace one faulty heart valve.

She continued, "Lots of people have done this and I have known about this condition for a while now."

Walters, who's 80, went on to say, "I don't think I'm really scared ... I'm glad it's going to be over with."

Before Massachusetts Senator-elect Scott Brown gets officially sworn into office, he's going to use whatever political power he can to write a terrible injustice -- his daughter's dismissal from "American Idol."



Brown explained to Barbara Walters that his daughter was only 17 at the time Simon Cowell described her performance as "robotic" and "empty" and he'd love to have her get on the show again.

The way Brown's luck has been lately, she'll probably win next season.