Mimi Alford On 'The View': Alleged JFK Mistress Defends Herself From Barbara Walters (VIDEO)

Mimi Alford, the former White House intern who claims she had an 18-month affair with President John F. Kennedy, sat down for an interview with "The View" (weekdays on ABC) Friday that turned surprisingly combative. Barbara Walters grilled Alford about her motivations for writing about the relationship and criticized her for hurting the Kennedy family.

Walters, who admitted to having an affair with then-married Senator Edward Brooke in early '70s, began the interview by detailing the sexual exploits Alford wrote about in her book "Once Upon a Secret: My Affair with President John F. Kennedy and Its Aftermath." "The View" co-host pointed to a passage where Alford describes giving oral sex to JFK's friends and younger brother on a dare. Alford pushed back on the notion that she was coerced, but expressed some regret about it. "What mortifies me today is that I accepted the dare," she reflected.

When Alford explained that she didn't intend to hurt anyone by writing the book, Walters interrupted: "I know, but you know it must hurt that family." Alford pushed back against the criticism, explaining that the book was her way of telling her story, and that she needed to write and talk about the experience after keeping it a secret for so many years.

Earlier in the week, Walters' colleague Whoopi Goldberg expressed skepticism about the timing of the book's release and threatened to not show up for the interview. But the present Goldberg took the opportunity to ask Alford, "Why now?" Alford explained that after she was named in a 2003 JFK biography, she felt the desire to tell her own her own story, rather than leave it in someone else's hands.

At that point, Walters interrupted again, making the point that the affair was only mentioned in one paragraph of that biography. "Nobody even remembers it. You could have let it go," Walters suggested. But Alford once again defended taking ownership of her story, and simply said, "That secret affected my whole adult life."

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Comments

[Gadgetman]

03:26 AM on 02/18/2012

Ask not what your country can do for you but who in the country can I do ~JFK

[blazetv]

02:16 PM on 02/17/2012

It's amazing how people forget...Barbara Walters obviously needs to be reminded...

http://blazetelevisionnetwork.com/barbara-walters-throws-stones-at-mimi-alford-from-glass-lair

[unbelal]

08:54 PM on 02/14/2012

It was disgusting how Barbara Walters, who I used to respect, handled Mimi Alford. It's too bad that women have been the hardest on her. I don't understand all the ugliness. She was outed and had to tell her story the right way. Yes, JFK used his power and charisma to take advantage of a 19 year old naive, sheltered girl. JFK was excellent at reading people, and realized he could take advantage. Mimi did care for him and it did last quite a long time. JFK is the scoundral, not Mimi. I live in DC and have seen this kind of thing for the last 30 years with powerful men. I'm glad it came out as a warning to young girls, hope it helped Mimi and hope she makes tons of money from it. She seems like a very credible, lovely woman who is definately rising above all these female attackers.

[rivers44]

01:24 PM on 03/26/2012

I totally agree. How can this supposedly liberated and strong woman, Barbara Walters, expect Mimi to live her life as a lie? Anything that stays in this kind of dark and secret place must just be a soul sucking-experience to live through. Maybe history isn't as beautiful as we believe. We can't always wrap everything that has happened up in a pretty bow and tuck it away. Mimi's story can and will help other women to realize that their truth is just as important as the one that is supported by a larger audience or a bigger personality.

Listen, we all love the fairy tale. Nothing is more beautiful than the romance and vigor of the Kennedy presidency; but let's not tell anyone that their own personal history is less valuable or worthy of being validated than another person's. I don't want my children to push anything under the rug and I wish that Barbara Walters wouldn't have tried to make Mimi feel as though she should have to crawl under one. Maybe she will make money but so what? Barbara makes money every day exposing people for what and who they are and where is her shame for bringing home a paycheck? Every story deserves to be told if someone wants to tell it.

Sorry, I've always admired Barbara Walters, but i just don't agree with her on this one.

[Taj70]

07:35 PM on 02/14/2012

Who gives Walters and Goldberg the right to pontificate? Did either of them care about the families THEY hurt when they had their affairs? Mimi Alford's life is her life, and if she wants to chronicle it then its her right. Kennedy should have been the one who should've been thinking about his actions might affect his family, Oh, but he gets a pass. the Kennedy family know their men. As for Walters and Goldberg make up your hypocritical minds, first you're against censorship then when you decide to you want to practice censorship. You two make me sick

[emilie8888]

06:55 PM on 02/14/2012

Walters' performance was a disgrace. She does so much to hurt women's rights in one interview, she should be ashamed of herself. Alford has ever reason to write a book. Walters makes it clear that the only people she cares about being hurt are the Kennedy's and noone else, not Alford, nobody.

[Audi et alteram partem]

07:01 PM on 02/13/2012

I am going to buy Ms Alford's book x 3 so I can give them to some friends. Hope she does sell a lot of books.

[wanderinj4]

05:55 PM on 02/13/2012

Barbara Walters was quite disgusting in her treatment of Mimi Alford. Clearly, she has been bought off by the Kennedy family who have the most heavy handed PR machine anywhere....Boston Magazine revealed this fact in detail a few months ago. Barbara Walters...she who wrote a book about her affair with Senator Ed Brooke....comes on all sanctimonious about "hurting" the Kennedy family. Barbara Walters repeated over and over and over again: "you're going to sell a lot of books....you are going to make a lot of money....." BW is of the power elite, and for all we know doesn't want a nobody to share her stage about affairs with powerful people.

[Darren Christman]

01:22 PM on 02/13/2012

But Walters has an affair with a married black congressmen in the 1960s. I mean the man must have been blind or something but he still did the nasty with her. I really hate Barbra -- such a hypocrite

[Audi et alteram partem]

01:28 AM on 02/13/2012

I would like to know why Mrs. Kennedy tolerated such infidelity. Old fashioned values? Religious beliefs?
In any case she demonstrated tremendous lack of self worth.
No woman should ever stay with such a philanderer. No matter what the reason or justifications. If "marriage" was such a big deal than so would fidelity.

[Karen1]

03:35 AM on 02/13/2012

What nonsense. You don't know what went on in their marriage. All there are are rumors and unsubstantiated allegations by people who are making money by selling books.

[anneeger]

04:48 AM on 02/13/2012

Totally agree. But this is common practice when marriages are made for political and financial reasons. Look at the marriages of royal families. They choose a young women from a good family who will be able to bear children and otherwise she is treated like a piece of furniture. All the stories about them are just fairy tales which have nothing to do with reality. The same was the case with the Kennedys. Jackie Kennedy was obviously only interested in being married to rich and powerful men, after all she married that old Greek afterwards. There is nothing good or admirable about the Kennedy Clan, they just have a good PR department.

[Audi et alteram partem]

01:23 AM on 02/13/2012

My guess is ....with the unfortunate death of Whitney Houston this will take center stage on The View.
I know for a fact that The View received a lot of negative response from Walters' interview with Ms. Alford that will never be remarked upon. Walters has too much power on that show to ever admit to making a mistake.

[Karen1]

03:37 AM on 02/13/2012

Walters didn't make a mistake. She asked tough questions like a journalist is supposed to do. The only ones offended are Alford's fellow sl*ts.

[am10]

02:32 PM on 02/13/2012

Someone is still living the Camelot fallacy.

[martyfrancom]

12:56 AM on 02/13/2012

Didn't BW write a book about an affair she had with a married man?
Yes, she did.
What a hypocrite she is.

[dblohangel]

12:37 AM on 02/13/2012

Regarding Bahbwah Wahwah's grilling of Ms Alford...Ms Pot meet Ms Kettle. Shameful both of them, just shameful.

[Flying Sparkz1]

08:49 PM on 02/12/2012

A nineteen year old intern versus a forty something, womanizing, married boss who happens to be president. It's bad enough he cheated with her but the passing around to his friends is inexcusable. She has a right to tell her side of the story. The ugly truth is still the truth.

[Karen1]

11:57 PM on 02/12/2012

There is no evidence that it's the truth. Her allegations are unsubstantiated.

[wanderinj4]

06:09 PM on 02/13/2012

puhleeze....the account is completely consistent with the well documented treatment of women as disposable sex objects by several members of the Kennedy clan....and JFK in particular...it can be proven that she was summoned to the White House on the eve of the Cuban Missile Crisis, right? I am of the left politically, but JFK and Marilyn and many many others....Teddy leaving Mary Jo for dead while he worked his strategy with his aides....Michael with a 15 year old babysitter who was the daughter of a very wealthy friend...Joe Sr. taking sojourns with the female friends of his children.....what is it we still need to prove?

[robertmiller252]

01:06 PM on 02/12/2012

Go figure the Liberals in cases like this. If it is a Republican male, then it's an all-out attack on him.

If it is a Democratic male (Kennedy) go attack the woman.

So predictable.

[greenygenie]

01:21 PM on 02/12/2012

While I agree that often people apply a double standard, I am a democrat, and I think ALL of this behavior is awful, equally.

[dblohangel]

12:41 AM on 02/13/2012

If the philanderer is a Republican male then it's likely he's not having an affair with a female.

BTW has anyone checked this Alford woman's economic status...is she heavily in debt? Is she just greedy?

[robertmiller252]

07:47 AM on 02/13/2012

That's not what you said about Cain and Gingrich.

[mcm1954]

12:58 PM on 02/12/2012

So we know he was a philanderer and now was argueably exhibiting psychopathic behavior (manipulating others for personal gratification without guilt or empathy) She claims she knew what she was doing, and on some level she probably did, she was 19 in the early pre-womens liberation 60's, but he on the otherhand was suppose to be the responsible one, much older well educated, raised in privelege and the married president of the US. I have never understood how he has almost acheived sainthood in the minds of many. To paraphrase another Jack...Nicholson...they can't handle the truth.

[Karen1]

11:58 PM on 02/12/2012

This woman was not a victim. She said she was a willing participant.