NBC will pay tribute to Carol Burnett on her 90th birthday with Carol Burnett: 90 Years of Laughter + Love. The two-hour special will air on her birthday, Wednesday, April 26 at 8 p.m. ET/PT and will also stream the next day on Peacock.
Filmed at Avalon Hollywood in Los Angeles, the special will feature an A-list lineup of musical performances from Bernadette Peters, Billy Porter, Jane Lynch, Katy Perry, Kristin Chenoweth and more. Musical tributes will pay homage to Burnett’s renowned career performances, including: “Old Friends,” dedicated to her 60-year friendship with Julie Andrews; “Only an Octave Apart,” which Burnett sang alongside Beverly Sills in the 1976 television special Sills and Burnett at the Met; songs from the film Annie; and a tribute to her classic theme song, “I’m So Glad We Had This Time Together” from The Carol Burnett Show.
Special guests include Aileen Quinn, Amy Poehler, Bill Hader, Bob Mackie, Cher, Ellen DeGeneres, Julie Andrews, Kristen Wiig, Laura Dern, Lily Tomlin, Marisa Tomei, Sofia Vergara, Steve Carell, Susan Lucci, Tracee Ellis Ross, Vicki Lawrence, among others.
“I’m so excited NBC decided to throw me a birthday party and invited all of my closest friends,” Burnett said. “I can’t wait to look back at so many wonderful moments throughout my career, I feel so lucky to share this night with everyone.”
The special also will share some of the funniest and most memorable moments of Burnett’s legendary career. From her Broadway debut in Once Upon a Mattress, her early appearances on The Garry Moore Show, her hit films The Four Seasons, A Wedding, Pete ‘n’ Tillie, her iconic role as Miss Hannigan in Annie, to her acclaimed sketch comedy series The Carol Burnett Show, which ran for 11 seasons on CBS and played an instrumental role in the evolution of comedy.
“It’s hard to imagine anyone in television more beloved than Carol Burnett,” said, Jen Neal, Executive Vice President, Live Events and Specials, NBCUniversal Television and Streaming. “To throw this wonderful birthday celebration is clearly our honor, and we can’t wait to share the love that we all have for her with all her adoring fans.”
Carol Burnett: 90 Years of Laughter + Love is executive produced by Burnett, Brian Miller, Steve Sauer, Paul Miller and Baz Halpin, Mark Bracco & Linda Gierahn of Silent House Productions.