Corey Feldman “Never Got An Apology” From The Late Barbara Walters After She Accused Him of “Damaging An Entire Industry” By Discussing The Sexual Abuse He Suffered As A Child Actor

Corey Feldman recently reflected on his 2013 interview on The View and the surprising reaction he received from Barbara Walters that day.

According to Entertainment Weekly, the actor best known for his childhood roles in films such as Stand By Me and for being half of “The Two Coreys” with fellow child star and friend Corey Haim, had been on the ABC morning show in order to discuss his memoir, Coreyography, which contained some allegations of disturbing sexual abuse the two friends had suffered early in their career.

“I’m saying that there are people that were the people that did this to both me and Corey [Haim] , that are still working, they’re still out there, and they’re some of the richest, most powerful people in this business,” he explained. “And they do not want me saying what I’m saying right now.”

Walters then asked, “Are you saying that they’re pedophiles?,” which Feldman confirmed with a “yes.”

She followed that up with asking if they are “still in this business,” to which Feldman also replied, “Yes.”

When asked by former co-anchor Sherri Shepherd what he would tell parents who have the “best of intentions” for their child in the entertainment industry, Feldman deemed the situation “a many-feathered bird,” urging them to not “go into it with naivete.”

Walters said, “You’re damaging an entire industry,” to which Feldman replied, “I’m sorry, I’m not trying to. I’m just trying to say that it’s a very important, serious topic.”

Other stars have come forward with stories about being on the other side of Walters’ occasionally brash interviewing style, including Brooke Shields, who opened up on The Kelly Clarkson Show about being asked for her measurements as a young star by Walters.

Nonetheless, in Feldman’s case, the 2013 moment also has had a lasting effect on him, for while recently speaking with EW, he likened Walters’ reaction to “a knife in the heart.”

“It was shocking to me that somebody who I admired so much and I looked up to so much could be so deaf and so just completely wrong and off base,” he shared.

He continued, “It very much gave everybody, I think, the feeling that she was either part of it or covering up for it, which is shocking and scary.”

Although the video of the startling segment has since circulated online, Feldman claimed that he “never got an apology” from Walters and hadn’t been in touch with her prior to her death in 2022, telling EW that “the only apology [he’s] ever gotten is from a few Twitter followers who’ve said, we all want to apologize on her behalf for the fact that she never acknowledged you or apologized.”

While many former child stars have spoken out on the abuse of child actors since the release of Quiet On Set, the docuseries that has exposed the toxic underbelly of Nickelodeon, Feldman has long been vocal, tweeting in March that four people named in his documentary (My) Truth: The Rape of Two Coreys “line up” with those identified in Quiet on Set.

While Feldman claimed his documentary didn’t gain as much traction due to factors such as hackers taking the film and preventing viewers from watching it at the time, the onset of the pandemic, and a lack of widespread media attention, per EW, he explained to the outlet, he’s “still praying” that one day, his voice, Haim’s and those of fellow victims that he “experienced and saw in [his] time as a child get their voices heard and get a chance to come forward and have a chance of justice.”

Feldman said that “nobody in Hollywood has really stood with [him] during this, and it’s been really rough, but you never know,” noting that “tides seem to be changing, and the tides seemed to be turning.”

If you or someone you know needs to reach out about sexual abuse or assault, RAINN is available 24/7 at 800-656-HOPE (4673), or online at RAINN.org.