Christie's unique role in both of those events along with his outsized personality earned him a spot on Barbara Walter's list of the 10 most fascinating people of 2012.
Courted to run for president, Christie instead became an early and vocal supporter of Republican nominee Mitt Romney. That support, however, came under fire when fans-turned-critics accused him of costing Romney the election by praising President Obama's leadership in the aftermath of the storm.
"First of all, I didn't help [Obama] win," Christie told Barbara Walters. "I was doing my job."
"The fact of the matter is President Obama won the election pretty comfortably… I was doing my job as I saw fit to do it. And I told the truth, like I always do. The president did step up and help tremendously in New Jersey."
Tonight's Barbara Walters special will also feature the woman behind the literary phenomenon Fifty Shades of Grey, writer EL James; Olympic Gold medalist Gabby Douglas; Academy Award-winning actor/director/writer Ben Affleck; One of the most famous women in politics, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton; The British boyband sensation One Direction; 2013 Oscars host and creator of television cult classic "Family Guy" Seth MacFarlane.
The Number One Most Fascinating Person of 2012 will be announced on the program tonight at 9:30 on Channel 7.
For more on Barbara Walters' special, please visit ABCNews.com.
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