Carol Burnett feels as young as ever in the lead-up to her 90th birthday on April 26.
When asked about the upcoming milestone, the comedy legend told People, “I can’t wrap my head around it. I still feel like I’m about 11, but I’m amazed. It sure went fast.” These days, she admitted she’s just “glad because I’ve got all my parts—got my hips, I got my knees and I’ve got my brain, so I’m happy about that.” Burnett hopes that her legacy is, “I made people laugh, made them feel good when they might have been down.” Reflecting on The Carol Burnett Show, she added, “In my fan mail, many say it was the only time the family would get together, to watch and laugh. And that sometimes they were lonesome and were cheered up by our show. That’s a good feeling.”
To celebrate the occasion, NBC will honor the six-time Emmy winner with a two-hour special airing on her birthday, Carol Burnett: 90 Years of Laughter + Love. The show will featuring special guest stars such as Amy Poehler, Cher, Ellen DeGeneres, Julie Andrews, Steve Carell, Taraji P. Henson, and Tracee Ellis Ross. It will also include musical performances by Bernadette Peters, Billy Porter, Jane Lynch, Katy Perry and Kristin Chenoweth.
Burnett said that growing up in Los Angeles, she knew the entertainment business was for her right from the start. “I used to pretend to be on a radio show,” she explained. “I would yell out the window, ‘Now ladies and gentlemen, we have a young girl who is going to sing here without any musical accompaniment.’ One time, a man next door said, ‘Will you turn that goddamn thing off?’ And I thought, ‘I’m a hit. They think it’s real.’” But it wasn’t until college that she realized she had a particular gift for comedy. “I was pretty much of a quiet student all through grammar school, junior high, and Hollywood High,” she recalled. “I would kid around with my friends, the neighborhood kids, stuff like that. But I never really thought about it until I got to UCLA and I was in an acting class. A lot of the kids at the class were doing heavy, dramatic stuff and I thought, I can’t do that. So I picked something light and they laughed. That’s when the bug bit.”
The actor would go on to star in The Carol Burnett Show for 11 seasons and Carol & Company for two more. And she’s still working today, most recently guest starring on Better Call Saul and appearing next in the upcoming Apple TV+ series Palm Royale.
