ET chatted with Carol Burnett as she had her hand and footprints immortalized at TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.
Carol Burnett got her legacy cemented on Thursday with her handprints and footprints ceremony at TCL's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. The ceremony honoring the legendary actress and comedian was a star-studded event, including famous faces such as Dick Van Dyke, Lisa Ann Walter, Maya Rudolph, Jane Lynch, Allison Janney and Bill Hader.
Speaking with ET at the ceremony, Burnett was humbly surprised at the distinguished attendees present at her ceremony. "There's a lot of surprises... It's just so lovely and, of course, seeing my gang from Better Call Saul and Palm Royale and my family here," the 91-year-old beloved icon gushed.
Burnett was one of the first women to host a variety talk show with The Carol Burnett Show in 1967. She's maintained a long-standing career that spans TV, Broadway and film, performing in a variety of genres, including dramatic and comedic roles. In almost seven decades, she's received numerous accolades, including seven Emmy Awards, a Tony Award, a GRAMMY Award, seven Golden Globe Awards, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor and the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award.
Despite her many achievements and a wide-spanning fanbase, Burnett admits to ET that it's "bizarre" to have her hand and footprints cemented in the same neighborhood she grew up in as a child.
"I remember coming here, putting my little hands on Betty Grable's handprints, never dreaming that my handprints some day would be here," she says.
Having given her fans a lifetime of laughter, and even more to come since her Apple TV+ hit show Palm Royale was recently renewed for season 2, Burnett tells ET that she hopes that feeling will live on as her legacy.
"I get fan mail and what touches me the most is when somebody says, 'When I was down... your show cheered me up.' That would be the legacy I'd want," the beloved icon shares.
Before Burnett -- who celebrated her 91st birthday at the end of April -- took the stage to speak, Jimmy Kimmel and her co-stars Bob Odenkirk and Laura Dern took to the podium to share sweet speeches praising the Emmy winner.
"Carol paved the way for so many of the funny people I admire, many of whom are here with us today," Kimmel said of the Golden Globe winner. "She is a comedy legend and a pioneer and all of those things. But I think, most of all, she is a thoughtful and kind and absolutely delightful human being. I am honored to be here. I know we say that a lot but this time we really, really mean it."
Odenkirk praised Burnett's work on the 1960s classic TV show The Carol Burnett Show, saying, "It was important to me, that show... I couldn't believe I was watching adults being funny and silly and genuinely happy to be around each other. Boy, I needed that. Carol's natural smarts, silliness, warmth, was at the core, the flame at the core of that show."
"I love working with you. It was an honor. You're a king of comedy and drama and your film work has been outstanding, covering so much range," Odenkirk later added. "You're a movie star, TV star, and stage star, and the reason you're a star is that your range is incredible, but you always brought your soul to every performance and you shared yourself, so we feel [like] we know you, even when you're deep in character."
Closing out the speeches was Dern, who praised Burnett for her longevity in Hollywood. "I spent all our hours glued to The Carol Burnett Show, and the memories we made together are as lasting as Carol Burnett's hand and footprints will be from this day forward. We love you, Carol! We are humbled by all that you are, we are honored to pay tribute to your genius, the gift of your artistry and for the joy that you have brought all of us throughout your life and career, and we can't wait for so much more!"
ET previously spoke with Burnett at a Paley Center event honoring prolific costume designer Bob Mackie last month, during which the actress hilariously responded to what she is most proud of looking back on her life, sharing that it's not her Emmys or her Mark Twain Prize that make her the proudest.
"Living this long," she said, laughing.
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