Carol Burnett Pitched CBS Her 90th Birthday Celebration, but They Declined — Giving NBC a Monster Hit
variety.comMarc Malkin Senior Film Awards, Events & Lifestyle Editor You’d think CBS would have jumped at the chance to snag Carol Burnett’s “90 Years of Laughter + Love” birthday special.
Not only did the comedy legend’s variety show run on the network for 11 seasons, but so did its 50th anniversary special in 2017. “We first went to CBS, but they passed,” Burnett told me at an FYC event for the birthday special. “I did my show with them and all my specials, so naturally we went to them.” Fortunately, NBC bought the special, and it went on to score an impressive 7.6 million viewers.
It’s now favored to pick up an Emmy nomination. “NBC couldn’t have been greater,” she said. “They’ve been so supportive right from the get-go.” A rep for CBS declined to comment.
The guest list for the special, which premiered April 26, included Julie Andrews, Cher, Katy Perry, Kristin Chenoweth, Billy Porter, Jane Lynch, Bernadette Peters, Bill Hader, Amy Poehler, Lily Tomlin, Laura Dern, Steve Carell, Tracee Ellis Ross and Taraji P.
Read more on variety.com
