Barbara Walters Talks Lindsay Lohan's Scrapped “20/20” Interview: Host Deserved a “More Honest Explanation”

"The View" cohost sounds off after actress abruptly pulled out of a exclusive sit-down.

Barbara Walters isn't too thrilled with Lindsay Lohan these days--or at least with her handlers.

The veteran journalist told her fellow panelists on "The View" Monday that she was "disappointed" the starlet's new publicity team abruptly scrapped their highly anticipated sit-down for "20/20" last week only to turn around and commit to a Q&A with Jay Leno.

According to Walters, the excuse she received from actress' camp was that "Lindsay doesn't feel up to it."

Lindsay Lohan cancels "20/20" interview with Barbara Walters

That didn't wash with Babs, however, especially after all the prep work she had already done, including flying to Los Angeles in June with a camera crew while Lohan was in the midst of filming the Lifetime movie "Liz & Dick," in which she plays Elizabeth Taylor.

The pair had taped a segment with Lohan in full Liz makeup and discussed an incident when paramedics were called to the latter's hotel room while she was sleeping.

A major part of the "20/20" interview was to have taken place last week for broadcast on Nov. 16. But that was before Lohan's publicist, Steve Honig, quit representing the troubled actress.

Lindsay Lohan to do sit-down with Barbara Walters

After that, Walters said Lohan's new PR team nixed their talk only to book a chat with Leno for Nov. 20, five days before "Liz & Dick's" premiere.

Walters' cohost Whoopi Goldberg chimed in that the cancellation was because Walters is a "very different kind of interviewer," suggesting that unlike Leno, the news legend would not have asked softball questions.

"I couldn't agree with you more," replied Walters.

LiLo's publicist quits amid endless string of debacles

She then explained that what really irked her is not having "a more honest explanation."

"I called her new people," continued Walters. "If they said to me, 'You know Barbara, she isn't up to the kinds of questions you might ask,' although most of them were comparing her life to Elizabeth Taylor...and it would have been a wonderful, wonderful interview. [But Lindsay] could have set the record straight. If they had told me that, I wouldn't feel quite as disappointed as I do today."

In the end, Walters said she still hoped to sit down with Lohan and wished her the best.

See pics of Lindsay as Liz Taylor

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