Carol Burnett Reflects on Lucille Ball’s Last Gift on Her 56th Birthday

Los Angeles, CA – Comedy legend Carol Burnett shared a touching memory of Lucille Ball on her recent birthday, highlighting their special bond and the late star’s lasting influence on her career.

During an upcoming special titled The Carol Burnett Show: Mother of All Marathons, Burnett, 92, discusses how Ball, who passed away on April 26, 1989, impacted her life. “The woman who influenced me probably the most was Lucille Ball,” Burnett reveals in a preview.

Burnett recounted the time Ball attended her Broadway debut in Once Upon a Mattress. “I was more nervous that she was in the audience than I was the night before, when all the critics were,” she said. After the performance, Ball offered encouragement backstage, telling Burnett, “Kid, whenever you need me, give me a call.”

Years later, Burnett did just that when she was preparing for her own show, The Carol Burnett Show, in 1967. “I got up the nerve and called her,” Burnett explained. “She said, ‘Hey kid, you’re doing great. What’s happening?’”

Ball made an appearance on Burnett’s show and later returned the favor by featuring Burnett on her own program. Burnett fondly remembers, “We were very close, and she always sent me flowers on my birthday,” she says. Notably, on her 56th birthday, the flowers arrived even after Ball’s passing that very morning.

“I got up, turned on the television set – it was my birthday – and she had died that morning, on my birthday,” Burnett recalled. “And that afternoon, I got the flowers that said, ‘Happy birthday, kid.’”

Burnett, known for her extensive career including roles in Annie and Better Call Saul, teased that her latest project, the Apple TV+ series Palm Royale, will likely be her last. “Probably, unless there’s a cameo or something fun!” she stated.

The The Carol Burnett Show: Mother of All Marathons special airs May 10 and 11 on Shout! TV.