Carol Burnett Reveals Celebrity Surprises That ‘Blew Her Away’ in 90th Birthday Special 2023
Carol Burnett felt the affection leading up to her 90th birthday special. Carol Burnett: Ninety Years of Humor and Love Celebrates the legendary icon’s illustrious career on her birthday and features a slew of A-list friends, performers, and colleagues paying tribute to Burnett, including Bernadette Peters, Katy Perry, Julie Andrews, Cher, and more.
The beloved icon sat down with ET’s Nischelle Turner prior to Wednesday’s two-hour special, which was recorded in March at the Avalon Hollywood in Los Angeles, and discussed the joyous celebration in her honor.
“It was both marvelous and humiliating at the same time. Burnett said in an exclusive interview, “It was so sweet and loving, and I had so many good friends there, and I was so moved by everything they said.” “You’ll be sitting next to my friend, Julie Andrews. She flew out to be with me, which was so exciting. The exceptional musical guests, my performance”
In 90th Birthday Special, Carol Burnett Reveals Celebrity Surprises That ‘Blew Her Away’
“I didn’t want a birthday party with a cake, confetti, and all that, nor a roast. I desired a variety program,” she continued. “I desired a variety of programs with live music, comedy, and humorous video clips. We had a 19-piece orchestra and a large number of guests.
They were so charming and amusing to observe. It was simply amazing to see Bernadette Peters, Kristin Chenoweth, Billy Porter, Jane Lynch, Sutton Foster, and Katy Perry perform.
While Hollywood was present to give Burnett the 90th birthday she merited, the comedian admitted that several surprise celebrity appearances left her speechless.
“They played a number of videos with good wishes and other sentiments, and I was deeply moved by the performance. That kind of astounded me. “But everyone — I mean, President [Joe] Biden, Dr. [Jill] Biden, if I could continue, Dolly Parton, Oprah, Steve Martin, Marty Short, Jimmy Fallon, and Stephen Colbert,” Burnett disclosed. “I was unaware that I would possess all of those videos. So I was stunned.”
When asked what aspect of the festivity stood out to her, Burnett replied, “everything.”
“I shed a few tears when Bernadette and Kristen Chenoweth sang ‘Old Friends’ by Stephen Sondheim to Julie Andrews and me, and Julie got a few tears in her eyes,” she said, reflecting on her 62-year friendship with the Sound of Music legend.
Andrews’ manager, who was acquainted with the executive producer of The Gary Moore Show, suggested that Burnett and Andrews meet. “She came with her manager to see me in Once Upon a Mattress, and afterwards we had dinner with the two gentlemen,” said Burnett of their dinner companions. “Those two poor fellows never got a word in edgewise. The year was 1959.”
“Then Julie appeared as a guest on The Gary Moore Show, and we performed a finale that brought the house down,” she praised. “I had never before witnessed a studio television audience give a standing ovation. Thus, the notion arose that we should collaborate on a special. In the end, we produced three specials over the years. We conducted one in 1962, another in 1972, and a third ten years later.”
Regarding the legacy she expects to leave behind, Burnett stated that she wants people to remember how good “our show made them feel.” That is significant.”
