At 88 Years Old, Carol Burnett Looks Gorgeous Nowadays

Dec 14, 2021

Carol Burnett, the much-loved singer, actress, and comedian, has brought a ray of sunshine and laughter onto our screens for the last 60 years. Carol Burnett was born on Apr. 26, 1933, in San Antonio, Texas. 

Part of the reason Burnett was able to get into acting was that she moved to live with her grandmother in Hollywood, where she attended Hollywood High School and went on to study theatre at UCLA. After performing in nightclubs around New York City post-graduation, Burnett secured her breakout Broadway role as the evil queen in the musical fairytale production, "Once Upon a Mattress."

Carol Burnett is best known for her variety show "The Carol Burnett Show," which aired on CBS from 1967 to 1978. "The Carol Burnett Show" was a popular variety show with vaudeville roots featuring dancing, singing, and comedy sketches. It wasn't long before Burnett became a comedy queen in the acting business. The popularity of her variety show gained her notable roles in film and movies, such as the orphanage owner Miss Hannigan in 1982's "Annie."

Despite having wild success in Hollywood, Burnett's lucky streak didn't seem to follow into her life outside of acting. The actress's own personal life has had some trials and tribulations, including her youngest daughter, Carrie, dying from lung cancer when she was only 38 years old.

In 2021, Burnett is 88 and doing her best to enjoy her life. She still has not officially retired either, so you can expect to hear more from the actress in the future. Read on to learn more about the star's personal life and to see what she is up to now.

"The Carol Burnett Show" was airing at the peak of Burnett's career when she began her family with TV producer Joe Hamilton. She welcomed three daughters into the world during the early 1960s: Jodie, Erin, and Carrie. All three of her girls went on to become stars in their own right, but she did not expect the turn of events that were due to take place in the future. Although from behind the screen Burnett seemed happy, not everything in her life was filled with joy. 

Burnett's first child Jody Hamilton, now 53 years old, was born in 1967. She followed in her father's footsteps and became a film producer in Hollywood. She has even produced her mom's show "Carol Burnett: Show Stoppers"–talk about keeping it in the family!

After Jody, Burnett welcomed her second child, Erin, into the family. Erin's talent was singing, and she pursued a career in the music industry. According to Closer, her song "Dream Weaver," a 1998 cover of Gary Wright's 1975 hit, is her most iconic track.

Unfortunately, Erin has battled with drug abuse for many years. Burnett had to step in when things were too much for her daughter and has played a big part in the upbringing of her grandson, Dylan. According to The Blast, Burnett stated:

"Throughout her adult life, and since Dylan's birth, Erin has suffered from severe substance abuse and addiction issues. In the past 19 years, Erin has been in and out of rehabilitation centers and has been institutionalized a total of eight times for a minimum of 30 days each time."

Burnett's youngest daughter, Carrie, was born in 1963 and went on to become an actress. Unfortunately, Carrie also had a long battle with drug addiction. Burnett revealed:

"I put her in a third rehab place and, oh my God, she hated me. I came to the conclusion that I had to love her enough to let her hate me. She got sober and we started bonding. We wound up working together, writing a play together. We worked together in three shows."

Tragically, just as things were improving, Carrie's life was cut short when she was diagnosed with lung cancer. She died from complications due to pneumonia in 2002.

The icon, now 88 in 2021, is certainly carrying on. A recent project of Burnett's is the Netflix series, "A Little Help with Carol Burnett," in which she works to solve everyday problems with a group of 9-year-olds. She said of the show, "That was really easy because there was no script. There was just a premise. And also you couldn't stay too long because there were kids. So that was great. We'd go in, we'd do it, and we'd be out of there."

She was also on tour in 2019 and has shows set for 2022. She explained, "I've been going on the road every so often to various theatres around the country and doing 90 minutes of Q&A. I had about 10 or 12 that I was going to do this year but we had to postpone them until whenever. I miss that because for me it keeps the old grey matter ticking. I never know what they're going to ask so I have to be on my toes. It keeps me young."

Can you believe Burnett is still working at 88? Are you a fan of her work? Let us know what you think, and feel free to pass this story along to your friends that loved "The Carol Burnett Show."