Queen Of Comedy Betty White Turns 99

Betty White just turned 99 on January 17, 2021, and her humor hasn’t aged a day! The Golden Girl  crossed the milestone snug in her home doing, as she lets the media know, everything she loved, including treating her two special friends to a special meal.

“What am I doing for my birthday? Running a mile each morning has been curtailed by COVID, so I am working on getting ‘The Pet Set’ rereleased, and feeding the two ducks who come to visit me every day”, she tells  Entertainment Tonight. ‘The Pet Set’, which first aired in the 1970s, is making a digital debut soon to celebrate its golden anniversary.

In a lively email to the Associated Press, the five-time Emmy winner further details out, “Since I am turning 99, I can stay up as late as I want without asking permission!” Her agenda for her birthday included eating French fries and a hot dog, besides tending to the pair of ducks who are now regular visitors at her Los Angeles residence. She also mentioned expecting a bouquet of roses from her longtime friend and agent, Jeff Witjas.

So how does the beloved star feel about turning 99 amidst a pandemic? Not any different from being 98, says the popular comedian. She feels as fit as she did before, “ I am blessed with good health.”

Betty, who entered into the Guinness World Records in 2014 for completing 70 years in the entertainment industry, is still the record holder for having the longest active career for a female entertainer. Her love affair with the industry has seen many different shades. During WW2, the young starlet joined the American Women’s Voluntary Services. The versatile actress did truck delivery of supplies in the day and danced for soldier send-offs in the night. As a television artist, Betty has had over 20 Emmy nominations since 1951. She won her first Emmy for the Mary Tyler Moore show. In the 50s, she had also turned producer with  Life with Elizabeth. Her reality show, Off Their Rockers, won an Emmy nod in 2014. Last year, she became the oldest nominee for an Emmy at 98. She is also the oldest host, male or female, of Saturday Night Live.

The pandemic may have put a dampener in social activities, but it sure has not dampened Betty’s larger than life spirit. She has been keeping her daily routine healthy and full of laughter to stay positive. Recently, she told People magazine that this was her way of keeping herself fit. To stay positive is to live life well whether one was 98 or 99. “I don’t like the other side,” White said. “The positive side is a lot more fun.”

Sure enough, we see much of this zesty side of her in her recent discussions over her 99th celebrations.

What keeps Betty so peppy? In her own words, “A sense of humor … Don’t take yourself too seriously. You can lie to others—not that I would—but you cannot lie to yourself.”

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