Brooke Shields Calls Out Barbara Walters For Her Practically Criminal Teen Interview

The American actress and model, Brooke Shields is no stranger to controversy. She recently appeared on the episode of the “Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard” podcast and reflected on her early years in showbusiness.

Shields spoke about how she was over-sexualized by the media and the public in response to the now-infamous Calvin Klein campaign. The 15 year old modeled for the jeans and said, “You want to know what comes between me and my Calvins? Nothing.” The innuendo broke that era’s version of the internet and the young teen was unfairly held accountable for it.

After the backlash, Shields did a number of interviews, including one with Barbara Walters. She was asked a series of intimate and invasive questions about her sexual history. While discussing the sexualization of young celebrities during the podcast episode, Dax called her interview with Walters “maddening.” He decided to put the blame on not only Walters but also the era she was the product of.

“I feel like the controversy backfired,” Brooke mused. “The campaign was extremely successful. And then, I think the underwear sort of overtook the jeans, and they understood what sells and how to push the envelope. There’s an appeal to it that is so undeniable, and they tapped right into it. They knew exactly what they were doing, and I think it did set the tone for decades,” mentioned Brooke while talking about the bright side of the controversy

Brooke criticized the type of journalism Walters put forth in front of people. “It is practically criminal,” added Brooke. She further recalled how she was a naive 15-year-old and didn’t understand why she was being villainized by the media. Looking back, Shields admits some aspects were a little racy.