Jacqueline Dena Guber is the only daughter of renowned American retired journalist, Barbara Walters. Walters worked as a broadcast journalist, author, and television personality for over five decades.
She is most famously known for her television programs such as Today, The View, and ABC Evening News among others.
Well, Jacqueline is the adopted daughter of the former journalist and her second husband Lee Guber. The former husband-and-wife decided to adopt after a couple of painful miscarriages.
Being a daughter of a media figure, Jacqueline Dena Guber had a lavish upbringing, however, Guber didn’t enjoy being a celebrity kid much. She always loved being under the media radar, so there are many details to be unveiled about her. Let’s explore her life here.
Jacqueline Dena Guber Adoption And Parents
Jacqueline was born in 1968 in the United States of America. Many online sources have reported her birthday as 14th June. Details about her biological parents are not available, however, we do know that Barbara and her husband Lee adopted her shortly after her birth in 1968. Barbara named her daughter after her sister.
Well, Jacqueline’s parents, mother Barbara Walters and father Lee Guber reached the decision to adopt a child after they suffered a couple of miscarriages.
Jacqueline Dena Guber’s mother and former American TV personality Barbara Walters
Jaqueline Dena Guber’s mother, Barbara Walters
During her appearance on Oprah’s Master Class in 2015, Barbara revealed that she had had three miscarriages with her then-husband Guber before she finally became a mother through adoption.
There she also gushed that a double date with a couple they barely knew led them to adopt the baby girl. Walters told Oprah that the couple told them they had an opportunity to adopt a girl, however, they wanted to adopt a boy. Since they didn’t want to adopt the girl, Walters and her then-husband grabbed the opportunity.
Jacqueline Guber’s Mother Is Married Four Times
Jacqueline’s mother, Barbara Walters has been married four times. For the first time, Walters tied the knot with Robert Henry Katz. He is a business executive and former Navy lieutenant. Married on June 20, 1955, in New York City, Walters and Katz divorced after less than two years.
Following that, Barbara married Lee Guber, a theatrical producer and theater owner. The ex-pair walked down the aisle on December 8, 1963. The couple remained married for over a decade before they parted ways in 1976. As mentioned earlier, Walters and Guber share one daughter.
Jacqueline’s mother’s third and fourth marriage was to the CEO of Lorimar Television, Merv Adelson. Their first marriage was in 1981, however, they divorced in 1984 due to some irreconcilable differences. The pair reunited shortly after their first divorce and again exchanged vows in 1986.
Nevertheless, their second marriage didn’t last for long either. Barbara and Adelson divorced for the second time in 1992.
Barbara Walters doesn’t have children from her first and third husbands. Meanwhile, during a conversation with CNN back in December 2013, Barbara revealed that she regretted not having more children. She added that she always wanted to have a bigger family. Here’s a clip.
Jacqueline’s Naughty Teenage Days
When Jacqueline turned teen, she started skipping classes. As per NBC, she would sneak out in fishnet stockings and miniskirts to party at Manhattan’s famous Studio 54. Jackie told NBC that she would go home at four in the morning and then wouldn’t go to school.
Jackie added she would call in sick or pretend she was going to school. She continued,
“I always felt, you know, if we had, I don’t know, a housekeeper, that I could relate more to the housekeeper than I could the girls in my elite private school. And I think that that’s why I felt different.”
Then, the interviewer, Jane Pauley asked Barbara if she was unaware of her daughter’s behaviors. Barbara said: “I should have known, but I was much more innocent.”
When the interviewer said Barbara she was one of the most probing questioners in the world so why she didn’t do the same with her daughter. Then Barbara replied,
“You don’t do that with your child. I can sit down and do an interview with somebody, and of course, I asked her questions. But I’m not going to ask 13-year-old the kinds of questions that you ask me.”
Walters added,
“You just don’t. This is your child. I would say to her, ‘How do you feel? Why are you sleeping? So you feel sick?’ I took her to the physician. I was afraid she had a brain tumor.”
When Jackie was in her late teens, she fled.
Jacqueline Dena Guber never wanted to be in the spotlight, but as a teenager living with her well-known mother Barbara, Jackie didn’t see how it was possible. Jackie had been “running headlong toward trouble for years before she ran away,” according to her mother Walters.
Jacqueline admitted to once smoking marijuana. Previously known as crank, methamphetamines are now the preferred term. There were quaaludes everywhere, according to Jackie. She continued, feeling cut off from her mother’s world to the point where she even believed that running would make everything better.
Jacqueline traveled 800 miles by hitchhiking across the Southwest, according to NBC. Barbara claimed that she had considered calling the police, but a friend advised her to hold out and wait instead. Barbara didn’t hear from Jackie for a long month before she finally got a call. Jackie hitchhiked with a man named Walters, and “then I knew where she was. I thank God.
Jacqueline Dena Guber Oversaw A Rescue Program For Girls
Jaqueline left New York City and went to Oregon, where no one was aware that she was Barbara Walters’ daughter. She later relocated to Maine, where she met Mark Danforth, the man she would later marry. After that, Jacqueline quickly established “New Horizon,” a program in Northern Maine, to save troubled teenagers like herself.
Dad passed away In 1988
When Jacqueline Dena Guber was about 20 years old, her father, Lee Guber, died of cancer. According to the LA Times, Lee Guber passed away on March 27, 1988, at the age of 67, from brain cancer. The source added that the Hollywood producer passed away at his Manhattan residence.
DUI Was Charged Against Her
Jacqueline was detained for drunk driving back in May 2013. According to the official report, in Naples, Florida, police stopped Jackie while she was visibly intoxicated. Jackie was detained by police after they were called to a report of her running red lights.
Jackie grabbed an officer and “began shouting” as officers attempted to handcuff a male passenger. TMZ published the following excerpt from the arresting officer’s statement:
Because of the suspect’s unpredictable behavior, “I was afraid she might run into traffic on the highway, so she was taken to the ground and secured in handcuffs.”
But shortly after being detained, Jackie was freed on a $1,000 bail.
Jacqueline Dena Guber’s Relationship History: Three Marriages
Jackie, as we’ve already mentioned, doesn’t enjoy the spotlight of the media. She hasn’t talked much about her relationships or her dating life as a result. Nevertheless, some information regarding her relationships and marriages has been leaked. Jackie has been married three times.
Scott Pontius was her first husband. At the time, Jackie was a receptionist at Riverton Hospital. Pontius and Jackie allegedly met after Jackie moved into a house with a view of Puget Sound. According to the Seattle Times, Pontius’ parents owned a waterfront home. Pontius, according to the source, also worked in construction and volunteered with the White Center Fire Department. He was a graduate of Highline Community College.
According to the Times’ article, the wedding was scheduled to take place at the Inn at Semiahmoo on August 17, 1996. But the couple found it difficult to have a long-lasting marriage. Sadly, we lack information regarding their divorce’s timing and causes.
Jacqueline wed Mark Danforth following the dissolution of her marriage to her first husband. Despite the lack of information regarding their wedding date, we are certain that the former couple walked down the aisle in the middle of the 2000s. The length of their marriage is unknown, as is the precise date on which they divorced.
When Jackie was detained for a DUI in May 2013, Pop Culture noted that she was with her husband “Dennis Pinkham.” The website also stated that Pinkham had marijuana in his pocket at the time of his arrest. But it hasn’t been confirmed that Dennis is Jackie’s husband.
What Is the Net Worth of Jacqueline Dens Guber?
Jacqueline Walter, daughter of Barbara Walter, reportedly has a net worth of about $1 million as of 2022. Her mother, a well-known journalist, has a net worth of over $170 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
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