The comedic legend Carol Burnett is preparing to turn 90 later this month on April 26, and she’s opening up about this milestone birthday in a new interview.
Burnett’s Birthday
“I can’t wrap my head around it,” Burnett told People Magazine. “I still feel like I’m about 11, but I’m amazed. It sure went fast.”
“But I’m glad because I’ve got all my parts β got my hips, I got my knees and I’ve got my brain, so I’m happy about that,” she added.
NBC will be celebrating Burnett’s birthday with the special “Carol Burnett: 90 Years of Laughter + Love,” which is set to air at 8pm on April 26. The star-studded special will feature celebrities like Amy Poehler, Cher, Ellen DeGeneres, Julie Andrews and Steve Carell.
Related: Julie Andrews Supports Carol Burnett As They Tape Her 90th Birthday Special
Burnett Reflects On Her Life
Ahead of her birthday, Burnett is reflecting on her life as a child growing up in Los Angeles, California.
“I used to pretend to be on a radio show,” Burnett recalled. “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.'”
It wasn’t until Burnett got to college that she realized that she had a talent for comedy.
“I was pretty much of a quiet student all through grammar school, junior high and Hollywood High,” Burnett explained. “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,” she continued. “That’s when the bug bit.”
Burnett Was A ‘Late Bloomer’
Burnett admitted that she was a “late bloomer” because “so many performers who started when they were 3 and 4 and 5 years old.”
Though Burnett would later star on “The Carol Burnett Show” for 11 hugely successful seasons, it wasn’t easy for her to get into television.
“It was some local television show in New York and I got up and I belted out a song and the emcee that I was auditioning for said, ‘You’re too loud for television,'” she remembered. “I disagreed.”
Burnett is still working to this day, with her next project set to be an acting role in the upcoming Apple TV+ series “Palm Royale.”
Check out Burnett’s full comments on her upcoming birthday in the video below.
Related: Julie Andrews Stuns Fans By Revealing She Was Caught In Compromising Position With Carol Burnett
Burnett’s Legacy
When asked what she wants her legacy to be, Burnett replied, “I made people laugh, made them feel good when they might have been down.”
“In my fan mail, many say it was the only time the family would get together, to watch and laugh,” she concluded. “And that sometimes they were lonesome and were cheered up by our show. That’s a good feeling.”
Burnett is a true living legend, and there will never be another one like her. We can’t wait for Burnett’s birthday special, and we hope that she has many more birthdays to come!
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