All hail Carol Burnett! The eponymous winner of the inaugural Carol Burnett Award accepted the award at the Golden Globes while giving thanks for the ‘opportunity’ to ‘make you laugh and cry.’
“Does this mean I get to accept this every year,” said the iconic Carol Burnett, 85, at the 76th Golden Globe awards on Jan. 6, after being presented the inaugural Carol Burnett Award. The woman dubbed the “queen of comedy” was “gobsmacked” by the honor. While she has practically won every award under the sun, this was the first time an award was named after Carol, and she accepted it with her signature humor, grace, and sweetness. During the heartfelt speech, she gave love to the “family” behind The Carol Burnett Show, including the amazing cast and those behind the camera.
She also said that such a show couldn’t be done in 2018, because it would cost too much. She even joked about the death of variety shows on TV (“Here’s to reruns and Youtube”) before finishing her speech with her signature line. “I’m so glad we had this time together,” she said, before tugging on her ear, another trademark! From there, she got a standing ovation – one she so rightfully deserved!
The award, named after Carol, celebrates someone who “has made outstanding contributions to television on or off the screen,” according to a press release from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. That certainly describes Carol, a five-time Golden Globe Winner, who changed the landscape of comedy with The Carol Burnett Show. It was the first of its kind to be hosted by a woman, and it brought her success and fame. In its 11 years on the air, it received 25 Emmy Awards, one of the most honored shows in TV history. She’s a six-time Emmy Award winner, a two-time Peabody Awards, a Grammy winner, a Horatio Alger Award winner, a Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for Humor winner, and a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
“For more than 50 years, comedy trailblazer Carol Burnett has been breaking barriers while making us laugh,” said HFPA President Meher Tatna, per Variety. “She was the first woman to host a variety sketch show, ‘The Carol Burnett Show.’ She was also the first woman to win both the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor and Kennedy Center Honors. And now we add another first to her running list: the first recipient -– and namesake -– of the new Golden Globe top honor for achievement in television, the Carol Burnett Award. We are profoundly grateful for her contributions to the entertainment industry and honored to celebrate her legacy forever at the Golden Globes.”
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