One of America’s favorite actresses hit a major milestone Tuesday. Former Golden Girls star Betty White celebrated her 90th birthday in the most appropriate way: with a TV special.
The special, “A Tribute to America’s Golden Girl,” aired on Monday night and featured guests like Amy Poehler, Joel McHale, Ed Asner, Mary Tyler Moore, Carol Burnett and many more. They started the night out with a few easy jabs about just how old Betty is. Even President Obama joined in on the fun!
He sent a video greeting to the 90-year-old star, requesting a long-form birth certificate to prove that she is in fact nine decades old! Nice one, Mr. President! Some other celebrities, including Ellen DeGeneres, Tina Fey, Tracy Morgan, Morgan Freeman, Hugh Jackman, Jay Leno and Ray Romano, weren’t able to be there in person, but also sent some video messages to Betty on her big day!
Mary Tyler Moore took the stage and received a standing ovation. She starred with Betty in The Mary Tyler Moore Show, and recently turned 75. The former actress recently underwent brain surgery to remove a benign tumor and looked rather frail. Her appearance is said to be the most moving moment of the night.
Another memorable appearance in the special was Carol Burnett, who Betty starred with on Mama’s Family. She took the audience through their times together with clips from The Carol Burnett Show, The Tonight Show and the Golden Girls. Her time on stage took a more serious turn when Burnett teared up, telling everyone her hopes to salute Betty on her 100th birthday.
At the end of the special, Betty took the stage and emphasized how lucky she considers herself to have spent so many years doing what she loves. When she finished her speech, the crowd gathered together to wrap the program by singing “Thank You for Being a Friend.”
StarCam’s Jennifer Tapiero caught up with Betty White after she earned her Lifetime Achievement Award. Check out the full video below!
Sources: Washington Post