At 90, Carol Burnett Feels ‘Fortunate’ To Have Husband Beside Her After Raising Grandson And Mourning Daughter

Sep 01, 2023

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. Burnett was born on April 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 theater 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."

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. 

At 90, Burnett had to take care of her grandchildren as her daughter Erin had to enter rehabilitation for her addiction, as she was also stripped of visitation rights. Read on to learn more about Burnett’s life and the challenging journey she faces with her daughters. 

Burnett's oldest daughter, Carrie, was born in 1963 and went on to become an actress. In a 1979 feature with Interview Magazine, Burnett spoke of her daughter as having a good eye for talent. Burnett said:

"My oldest is quite a critic. My feeling is they ought to get kids up to the networks and have them watch things for their age group. Kids are so honest. They really tell it like it is. She’s already predicted a big hit for ABC, 'Mork and Mindy.' She says, 'It’s gonna be a smash because that guy’s gonna be the new Fonz.'"

Considering she was talking about Robin Williams, we have to agree she had a knack for the business! But sadly, tragedy would strike. During her teenage years, Carrie endured a long battle with drug and alcohol addiction. In an interview with People Magazine, 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, not long after things had improved, Carrie’s life was cut short when she was diagnosed with lung cancer. She died at the age of 38 from complications due to pneumonia after the cancer spread to her brain. Burnett suffered greatly during this period but had to find a way to get through it. 

She said: “You don’t get over it, but you cope. What else can you do?” Burnett added: “I think of her every day. She never leaves me…I just feel her.”

After Carrie, Burnett welcomed her second child, Jody, into the family in 1967. Jody followed in her father's footsteps and became a film producer in Hollywood. She started her own production company with friends named Namethkuf and even produced her mom's show "Carol Burnett: Show Stoppers" — talk about keeping it in the family. 

She was a co-host of the "From The Bunker" podcast in 2014. She's married to musician Lonny Paul, and together they live in Los Angeles.  

Burnett then welcomed Erin in 1968. Erin's talent was singing, and she pursued a career in the music industry. Erin has two children of her own — a son named Zachary with her ex-husband, musician Trae Carlson, and another son named Dylan from her marriage to Tony West.

Sadly, like her late sister, Erin has battled with drug abuse for many years. In 2020, Burnett even had to step in when things were too much for her daughter and even played a big part in the upbringing of her younger 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.”

Dylan lived with Burnett for a time, and in 2022 a permanent guardian was appointed for him. An insider told Closer Weekly that Burnett and her grandson "adore each other. They are kindred souls. He has Carol’s sense of humor. He’s a lovely young man.”

Luckily for Burnett, she did not have to cope alone. Burnett met the man who would become her third husband in the late ‘90s. At the time, Brian Miller was working as a principal drummer and contractor of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra. The two married in 2001. Although the pair have a 23-year age gap, Burnett said this was hardly an obstacle for them. 

“He’s funny and not easily intimidated. As we get older, the gap between our ages narrows,” she told People Magazine. However, she confessed things may be different if they had the same age gap but were both younger. “If you were 40 and married a 20-year-old, I don’t think you could communicate like (we do).” 

She also raved about Miller in an interview with PBS, saying that she feels “so fortunate at this time of my life to be with him,” adding: “And all of my friends have just totally embraced him. And he loves all of my buddies, so it works out great.”

In 2020, Miller and Burnett were appointed by the court as the temporary guardians of Dylan.

“Due to addiction issues and other circumstances that my daughter, Erin, has been struggling with impacting her immediate family dynamic, my husband and I have petitioned the court to be appointed legal guardian of my 14-year-old grandson,” Burnett said at the time before being granted the guardianship. 

On Aug. 24, 2023, a Radar Online source learned that if Erin wanted to seek guardianship for Dylan, she had to face the court and have her visitation rights returned to her. Erin apparently violated a court order of her mandated visitation rights for her. After the temporary guardianship for Burnett and Miller lapsed, the court appointed Jodi Montgomery as the third-party conservator for Dylan. 

What can you say about Carol Burnett’s family life? Isn’t her husband really patient for sticking with her through it all? Let us know, and pass this on to your family, friends and other Carol Burnett fans!