Here’s how to watch Celebrating Betty White: America’s Golden Girl.
This hour-long show will air on NBC at 10pm on Monday, Jan 31, paying a heartfelt tribute to the late comedy actress Betty, who died aged 99 on New Year's Eve 2021.
It will feature clips of some of Betty’s performances and include tributes from her friends, special guests, and fellow stars.
President Joe Biden will be among the famous faces sharing the love for Betty, as well as Cher, Drew Barrymore, Mary Steenburgen Bryan Cranston, Ted Danson, Ellen DeGeneres, Jimmy Fallon, Tina Fey, Ana Gasteyer, Goldie Hawn, Vicki Lawrence, Jane Leeves, Jay Leno, Anthony Mackie, Wendie Malick, Joel McHale, Tracy Morgan, Jean Smart, and Valerie Bertinelli. An NBC press statement about the shows reveals: "The hour will include clips that best capture White’s irreverent tone, spirit and impeccable comedic timing that are a hallmark to her decades-long career."
The show will be produced by Brad Lachman Productions, and Brad has previously produced two other NBC specials about the star.
Betty White had been due to celebrate her 100th birthday on January 17 but sadly she died on Dec. 31 before she could reach the milestone. She'd won our hearts playing Rose Nylund on the 1980/90s sitcom The Golden Girls. If you want to catch up with the brilliantly funny show, all series of The Golden Girls are currently available on Disney Plus. She loved the role, which she played for eight years, saying, “Rose was so innocent. Not the brightest nickel in the drawer, but funny.”
Betty was a six-time Emmy winner but it The Golden Girls that she’ll be best remembered for, starring alongside Bea Arthur, Rue McClanahan, and Estelle Getty as four women over 60 living together in a condo in Miami. It showcased Betty’s impeccable comedic timing as kind-hearted Rose was notoriously naïve and simple. She was often known to tell rambling, nonsensical stories about her hometown of St. Olaf in Minnesota. Betty reprised the character on three other series, Empty Nest (1988), Nurses (1991), and The Golden Palace (1992).
Previous to The Golden Girls Betty had played devious man-eater, Sue Ann Nivens, on the popular 1970s sitcom The Mary Tyler Moore Show. However, she had been in the business for a long time before that, starting her career on the radio at eight-years-old when she voiced an orphan on the soap opera Empire Builders.
In the 1950s the actress had her own show The Betty White Show. Her career spanned eight decades and she was one of the first women to work both in front and behind the camera, producing the sitcom Life With Elizabeth from 1953 to 1955. She was also a gameshow regular and was the first woman to receive the Daytime Emmy for outstanding game show host for Just Men! in 1983. During her career Betty appeared on numerous gameshows including Password, The Hollywood Squares, and Match Game. She was known as The First Lady of Gameshows.
Betty also had roles in shows such as The Bold And The Beautiful, Hot in Cleveland, and appeared in the 2009 movie The Proposal, starring Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds. She also voiced Bitey White, the tiger in Toy Story 4.
How to watch 'Celebrating Betty White: America’s Golden Girl' in the US
Celebrating Betty White: America’s Golden Girl will air on NBC in America at 10pm on Monday, Jan 31. Good news if you've missed the show you can catch up on NBC's streaming service Peacock.
How to watch 'Celebrating Betty White: America’s Golden Girl' in the UK
Unfortunately, there are currently no plans to show the special in the UK. We will update this story if a broadcast date is announced.
