Barbara Walters rep denies claims she pushed Sage Steele while backstage at The View

Sage Steele has claimed the late broadcaster Barbara Walters elbowed and pushed her backstage during an appearance on The View - something which Walters' rep denies.

Sage, who recently left ESPN after settling a lawsuit, says she had a run-in with the veteran broadcaster back in 2014 and accused Walters of ‘tackling’ her.

Walters passed away in December 2022, aged 93.

Speaking on an episode of The Megyn Kelly Show, Sage said: “It was Barbara, Whoopi [Goldberg], and myself in the dark green room off to the side.

“I was probably about four feet from the wall and the trash can, and Barbara was standing over here in front of me.

"She just started to back up toward me and looked at me and got close and elbowed me, and it pushed me back into the wall and the trash can. I was like, 'What did [she] just do to me? This 140-year-old woman just tried to, like, tackle me.'

YouTube/Megyn Kelly

“Some of the producers saw it. Whoopi saw it. And Whoopi was like, 'Come here.' She was great. She pulled me aside in her little area and she's like, 'Don't you let her do it.'

“And I'm like, 'Am I in a movie right now? One of the legends in this industry just tried to beat me up!''

In a post on social media, Steele has since claimed it was one of ‘the funniest behind-the-scenes moments of [her] career'.

But in a statement to Variety, a representative for Walters' estate has denied the claims, saying: “I find this impossible to believe and uncharacteristic of Barbara!”

Walters created, produced and co-hosted ABC’s The View for 17 seasons from 1997, she stepped down from hosting duties in 2014 but remained an executive producer until her death last year.

Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images

Steele’s claims come just days after she announced she was leaving ESPN following the settlement of a lawsuit, in which she claimed the network - and its parent company Disney - had violated her First Amendment rights and free-speech laws after she was suspended over comments she made on the Uncut With Jay Cutler podcast about the Covid-19 vaccination; how women dress; and the former US president Barack Obama.

In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Steele said: “Life update. Having successfully settled my case with ESPN/Disney, I have decided to leave so I can exercise my first amendment rights more freely. I am grateful for so many wonderful experiences over the past 16 years and am excited for my next chapter!”

UNILAD has contacted ABC for comment.