After Dylan Farrow, Woody Allen and Mia Farrow’s adopted daughter, opened up on the alleged sexual abuse she experienced at the hands of Allen in an open letter to the New York Times, quite a few people have come to Allen’s defense. Barbara Walters is the most recent Hollywood A-lister to speak out on the incest allegations, and Walters says that she has never seen Allen anything other than a “loving” father during an episode of The View.

Allen was honored with a Golden Globes Lifetime Achievement award last month and has a chance to win an Oscar this month for his latest film, Blue Jasmine. The Lifetime Achievement award is partly what prompted Farrow’s open letter, and in it she details the abuse she says she experienced as a 7-year-old. Several celebrities have spoken up on the situation since the letter was published, including Blue Jasmine actors Alec Baldwin and Cate Blanchett. Barbara Walters has now thrown herself in the mix by discussing the allegations on The View, where she portrayed Allen as anything but the father depicted in Farrow’s letter.

“I have rarely seen a father as sensitive, as loving and as caring as Woody is and Soon-Yi to [their daughters]. I don’t know about Dylan. I can only tell you what I have seen now,” Walters said.

Co-host Sherri Shepherd took Walters to task for her comments and pointed out Allen’s preference for younger women. “Barbara, when you say, ‘I’m speaking from what I’ve seen,’ there are so many things that go on behind closed doors. We also know that he was with Soon-Yi when she was very young. Mia had adopted this girl when she was young and Woody was around her. You’ve also got a man who’s got a track record. He liked younger women,” Shepherd said. “So it’s not that far off.”

Walters also raised the question of whether what goes on in Allen’s personal life should have any bearing on his professional life. “She’s doing it now because he’s up for an [Oscar]. And so the question is: Does your personal life interfere with the awards that you may get?” Walters asked.

Check out a segment from The View where Barbara Walters defends Woody Allen below.

Since defending Woody Allen on The View, Barbara Walters has been blasted on Twitter and other social media platforms. Walters, who has her own Twitter account, hasn’t yet responded to any of the comments.

@BarbaraJWalters you lost all your credit when you started defending a man who married his 17 year old stepchild. Woody Allen is a sick man.

— Thilye Rinke (@ThilyeRinke) February 4, 2014

Barbara Walters disgusts me with her defense of Woody Allen saying his daughter is only doing this because he is up for an award

— Kelly Macdonald (@KellyKelardo73) February 3, 2014

Image via YouTube