Past and present co-hosts will come together to celebrate Barbara Walters on 'The View'

NEW YORK, April 16 (UPI) -- All 11 past and present The View co-hosts will come together to celebrate Barbara Walters' retirement in an upcoming special episode.

The 84-year-old anchor had announced earlier in April that May 16 will mark her final appearance on the show. Walters created the daytime talk show in 1997, and has served as host for all 17 seasons of the series.

The View has seen many co-hosts come and go throughout the years, but Meredith Vieira, Star Jones, Joy Behar, Debbie Matenopoulos, Lisa Ling, Rosie O'Donnell, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, Sherri Shepherd, Jenny McCarthy and Whoopi Goldberg will all come together to honor Walters in a special, second-to-last episode of the show. The co-host reunion will take place on May 15, and is part of a week-long series of events to celebrate Walters' remarkable career.

"Barbara Walters' status as a trailblazer, a legend and an icon are undeniable," ABC president Paul Lee says of the television icon.

[ABC]