Television history is littered with moments that make you want to look away, but few have aged as poorly—or as strangely—as the 1987 sit-down between Barbara Walters and Sean Connery.
Honestly, if you watch it today on YouTube, it feels like a transmission from an alternate dimension. Walters, the sharp-as-a-tack journalist who could make world leaders squirm, was facing off against the man who was James Bond. But this wasn't a chat about gadgets or martinis. It was a confrontation about whether or not it's okay to hit a woman.
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The clip still goes viral every couple of years. People can’t believe what they’re hearing. Connery, sitting there with that smooth Scottish lilt and absolute confidence, didn't just defend his past comments; he doubled down on them.
The Playboy Ghost That Haunted the Room
To understand why Barbara Walters brought this up, you have to go back to 1965. Connery had done an interview with Playboy where he basically said he didn't think there was anything "particularly wrong" about hitting a woman.
He told the magazine that an open-handed slap was "justified" if all other alternatives failed. He even used the word "bitch." It was a different era, sure, but even by the standards of the mid-sixties, it was a polarizing thing to say on the record.
Fast forward twenty-two years.
Walters, known for her "gotcha" style that felt more like a velvet glove, decided to see if the actor had evolved. Most celebrities would have used that moment to apologize or say they were "misquoted." Not Sean.
"I Haven't Changed My Opinion"
When Walters asked him about the quote, the room went cold.
"You did an interview... in which you said it's not the worst thing to slap a woman now and then," Walters prompted, her voice steady but clearly leading him to a path of redemption.
Connery didn't take the bait.
"Yeah," he replied. "And I haven't changed my opinion."
He went on to explain his "logic." He told Walters that women are "pretty good" at not leaving things alone. He claimed they want the last word, and when they get it, they aren't happy and want to say it again to create a "provocative situation."
At that point, according to 007, "I think it's absolutely right."
Walters looked visibly stunned. She wasn't often speechless, but she asked, "Wait until people see this interview. You're going to get mail."
Connery’s response? He joked that he might get some "female" mail too. It was a peak example of his "man's man" persona clashing violently with the burgeoning modern awareness of domestic abuse.
The Fallout and the "Context" Defense
For years, this interview was a stain on Connery's legacy that he tried to scrub away with varying degrees of success.
In a 1993 interview with Vanity Fair, he tried to walk it back. He claimed Walters and her team edited two hours of footage down to twenty minutes to make him look bad. He argued that he was trying to say a slap isn't as "crude" as psychological damage.
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Basically, his defense was: "I'm saying words can hurt more than a hit." It didn't really land.
What People Often Get Wrong
- The "He was just Bond" Myth: People think he was staying in character. He wasn't. This was Sean Connery, the human being, expressing his personal philosophy on relationships.
- The Editing Excuse: While all TV interviews are edited, the raw transcript of his response doesn't leave much room for "misinterpretation." He was very clear about the "circumstances" he felt warranted a slap.
- The Later Refusal: It took until 2006 for Connery to finally issue a full, "no-excuses" condemnation of violence against women. He told the Times of London that no level of abuse is ever justified. Full stop.
Why This Interview Still Matters in 2026
We live in a culture that loves to "cancel" historical figures for things they said decades ago. But the Barbara Walters Sean Connery exchange is a bit different because it serves as a time capsule of power dynamics.
Walters was at the height of her power as a journalist. Connery was an untouchable icon. Seeing a woman challenge a "tough guy" on his own toxicity—and seeing him refuse to budge—is a masterclass in interview psychology.
It also highlights the complexity of celebrity worship. Connery remained one of the most beloved actors in the world until his death in 2020. People were able to separate the "The Rock" and "Indiana Jones" actor from the man who made those comments to Walters.
Understanding the E-E-A-T Perspective
From a journalistic standpoint, Walters did her job perfectly. She didn't scream. She didn't lecture. She simply presented his own words back to him and let him hang himself with them. That is the essence of high-level reporting.
Connery, on the other hand, represented a generation of men who viewed "dominance" as a necessity for a stable household. It's an uncomfortable truth about the history of masculinity that we often try to gloss over when mourning our icons.
Actionable Takeaways for Media History Buffs
If you're looking into the legacy of these two titans, there are a few things you should do to get the full picture:
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- Watch the full 20/20 segment: Don't just watch the 30-second TikTok clip. The full context shows how Walters builds the interview toward that moment.
- Read Diane Cilento’s autobiography: Connery's first wife made allegations of abuse that add a much darker layer to his comments in the Walters interview.
- Compare the 1987 and 1993 interviews: Seeing how Connery’s "defense" changed over six years tells you a lot about how public PR was starting to shift in the early nineties.
- Analyze Walters' technique: Note how she uses silence after his most shocking statements. She gives him enough rope to keep talking, which is a classic interrogation tactic.
The interaction remains a stark reminder that even the most "charming" men in the world can hold views that are fundamentally broken. Walters didn't need to take him down; she just had to ask the right question and let him do it himself.