BARBARA WALTERS SAYS GOODBYE TO DAILY TELEVISION WITH HER FINAL CO-HOST APPEARANCE ON "THE VIEW," FRIDAY, MAY 16

ABC: A Barbara Celebration Honors the Broadcast Legend, May 12-16

All 11 Co-Hosts Unite and Share the Same Stage for the First Time, Live, Thursday, May 15

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio Proclaims Friday, May 16 "Barbara Walters Day"

It all began with seven simple words: "I had this idea for a show."

Beginning MONDAY, MAY 12, (11:00 a.m.-12:00 noon, ET) after 17 incredible seasons, 3,811 shows and 10 different female panelists, Barbara Walters says farewell to live daily television with her final co-host appearance on "The View," the daytime program she created for ABC. Behind-the-scenes, Walters' will continue to be an active part of "The View" in her role as executive producer along with executive producer Bill Geddie, her producing partner of more than 25 years.

"Everyone at 'The View' is honored to be part of Barbara's final week as co-host and we recognize how fortunate we are to be witnessing television history," said executive producer Bill Geddie. "If there's one thing I'm sure of it's that the stars will never align to create another Barbara Walters. She is irreplaceable," Geddie added.

The special weeklong event "ABC: A Barbara Celebration" kicks off live on Monday as "The View" honors the broadcast legend during her final days as co-host. Follow the conversation all week long #celebratebarbara.

It's "Deja View" when, for the first time in television history, all 11 co-hosts of "The View," past and present, will share the same stage, live, THURSDAY, MAY 15 to celebrate the show's creator Barbara Walters. Journalist Meredith Vieira, lawyer Star Jones, comedian Joy Behar, television personality Debbie Matenopoulos, journalist Lisa Ling, comedian Rosie O'Donnell, and talk show host Elisabeth Hasselbeck will join Sherri Shepherd, Jenny McCarthy, Whoopi Goldberg and Walters for this momentous, once in a lifetime television event. Follow the conversation at #theviewreunion.

Highlights for the celebration include:

· Barbara Walters interviews . . . . Barbara Walters? The tables are turned on the television legend when a talented former cast member of "Saturday Night Live" sits down for an exclusive one-on-one interview

· Walters' meets up with "X-Men: Days of Future Past" star Hugh Jackman and his wife Deborah at New York's landmark Plaza Hotel

· Exclusive highlights from the May 12th dedication ceremony as ABC News headquarters in New York is proclaimed "The Barbara Walters Building"

· Surprise celebrity guest appearances

· Celebrity acknowledgments

· A special comedic tribute from Martin Short ("Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return")

· Barbara Walters' classic style through the years is featured on "The View" runway

· Guest appearances from David Letterman ("Late Show with David Letterman"), Michael J. Fox, Jane Fonda, Goldie Hawn and Michael Douglas. Letterman made his first appearance on Sept. 7, 2010. Fox was the show's second guest on August 12, 1997. His last appearance was September 23, 2010 when "The View" celebrated its 3,000th show. Fonda has ben interviewed four times by Walters. They first spoke in 1979. Hawn and Walters sat down in 1982 for "The Barbara Walters Special." Hawn's last appearance on "The View" was April 29, 2011. Douglas, a close personal friend of Walters', has been a frequent guest on "The View." He made his first visit on September 5, 1997.

· Exclusive sneak peeks at the ABC primetime special "Barbara Walters: Her Story" (9:00-11:00 p.m. ET), airing Friday, May 16

The week concludes on FRIDAY, MAY 16, a day New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio officially declared "Barbara Walters Day" with two monumental surprises, and Barbara's final words on "The View." Additionally, "Good Morning America" "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire," "The Chew," "General Hospital" and "World News with Diane Sawyer" are among the shows scheduled to join the celebration honoring the broadcast legend all throughout the day.

An exclusive Barbara Walters retrospective photo gallery is available at: http://abcmedianet.com/web/showpage/showpage.aspx?typecode=ph&global_id=003837&program_id=003837&type=asset

Visit the official show website for continued coverage of the best Barbara Walters moments from "The View," daily updates, news & information, video clips, exclusive celebrity montages, photo galleries and more http://abc.go.com/shows/the-view/news/view-news/abc-a-barbara-celebration