Barbara Walters Picks 2015's Most Fascinating Person

It's Caitlyn Jenner, for 'transforming society'
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 18, 2015 4:44 AM CST
Barbara Walters Picks 2015's Most Fascinating Person
In this July 15, 2015, photo, Caitlyn Jenner accepts the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the ESPY Awards at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.   (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)

There was no shortage of interesting people in 2015, but Caitlyn Jenner, a "symbol of hope for the transgender community," topped them all, Barbara Walters decided in her annual ABC special Thursday night. Walters said that the 66-year-old "transformed society" and "raised awareness and acceptance of transgendered people" with her own transformation from Bruce to Caitlyn, reports People. When Bruce Jenner won the Olympic decathlon in 1976, "it was a huge accomplishment that had everybody talking," Walters said. "But it was nothing like this. When Bruce Jenner became Caitlyn Jenner, there was a seismic shift in the gender universe."

She showed a video of the highlights of Jenner's year, which included winning the Arthur Ashe Courage Award. Walters' most fascinating runners-up this year included Bernie Sanders, Donald Trump, Amy Schumer, Jeff Bezos, Misty Copeland, Bradley Cooper, Tracy Morgan, Ronda Rousey, and Donna Karan. Jenner was the only one of the 10 Most Fascinating People who wasn't interviewed by Walters, the New York Daily News reports. (Jenner inspired Dictionary.com's word of the year.)

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