Carol Burnett reflects on her iconic career as she receives new Golden Globe award

Carol Burnett
(Image credit: Paul Drinkwater/NBCUniversal via Getty Images)

A television icon was honored at the end of the first hour of the 2019 Golden Globes, with Carol Burnett receiving a special award named after her.

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association this year launched a new award for achievement in television named after Burnett, and the first recipient was Burnett herself, introduced by Steve Carell. Carell praised Burnett as a "comedy legend" who "lives up to every expectation of who you'd hope Carol Burnett would be" and whose classic series, The Carol Burnett Show, is still "the gold standard for television comedy."

Burnett received a standing ovation and said in her speech she was "gobsmacked" by the honor, recalling her childhood dreams of becoming an actress and reflecting on how lucky she was to be a part of television history. As beloved as it still is, The Carol Burnett Show could not be done the same way today, she argued, if only because no network would want to spend the money they did. “Sad to say, today's audiences might never know what they're missing," she said. "So here's to reruns and YouTube.”

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"I can look back and say once more I am so glad we had this time together," Burnett concluded. "Thank you." Brendan Morrow

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Brendan Morrow

Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.