10 times Betty White was an absolute mic-dropper

Ah, Betty White. She was a television pioneer and America's beloved golden girl at almost 100 years young and now we're looking back at those memories like the nostalgic people we are. 

Betty was an acting legend for over 70 years, starting off in radio, then moving to television, where she co-founded Bandy productions, becoming one of the few women producers in Hollywood at that time. She wrote and starred in Life With Elizabeth (which won her an Emmy), then had her own titular show, The Betty White Show, before becoming a fan favourite in her 50s starring as Sue Ann Nivens on The Mary Tyler Moore Show (winning her 2 more Emmys). In her 60s, came her most beloved role to date, Rose Nylund on the iconic Golden Girls (yes, another Emmy was put to her name, and she was nominated every year it was in production).

Well into her twilight years, she was still acting and surprising us at every turn. We may have lost Betty on December 31, 2021 at 99-years-young but her legacy of comedy, wit, charm, and an indefatigable lust for life lives on. She could make us laugh . . . and gasp.

In celebration of her 100th birthday, here are 10 times Betty White clapped back, threw down the mic, and made us rethink what women of an older generation can do and say.

Her 2010 hosting stint on Saturday Night Live.

After a popular Facebook campaign, signed by hundreds of thousands of fans, that encouraged Lorne Michaels of Saturday Night Live to book Betty White as a guest host, Michaels listened and she finally took the stage in 2010.

At 88, she became the oldest person to host the long-running sketch comedy show, and yes, she won another Emmy for it. And we can see why. When in her opening monologue, she addressed the Facebook campaign and the social media platform.

“I didn’t know what Facebook was. And now that I do know what it is,” she joked,” I have to say, it sounds like a huge waste of time.” 

Her 2010 Lifetime Achievement Award acceptance speech at the Screen Actors Guild Awards

In 2010, SAG honoured Betty with a Lifetime Achievement award for her many years in showbiz. Presented to her by her The Proposal co-star Sandra Bullock, Betty took the stage in a daring dress with a slit up the leg (as she should!) and cracked quite a few zingers.

After calling Sandra “plain” and joking that some of her passions are “none of your business,” she said, “I look out at this audience and I see so many famous faces but what really boggles my mind is that I actually know many of you and I've worked with quite a few … maybe had a couple.”

Swearing at Ryan Reynolds and flipping him the bird

After starring in The Proposal in 2009 with Ryan Reynolds and Sandra Bullock, Betty starred in a “behind-the-scenes” featurette with the two, poking fun at their friendship. Betty proves to be sneaky, conniving, cunning, and underhanded by swearing and cussing at Ryan, even flipping him the bird, while pretending to Sandra that Ryan is cruel and rude.

“When Betty White says she wants a cup of coffee, you get her a f***ing cup of coffee, you ab-crunching jack-ass!” she barks at Ryan. Yes. YES TO ALL OF THIS.ss

Her foul-mouthed Snickers commercial

In 2011, she starred in a rough-housing Snickers commercial that aired during the Super Bowl, where she plays a muddy, brutal game of football with a group of young men intent on tackling her.

Of course, the joke of the commercial is that you play “like Betty White” when you’re hungry, but Betty’s response to that? "That’s not what your girlfriend says!”

Making out wildly with Bradly Cooper during an SNL sketch

In 2015, when SNL celebrated 40 years, Betty and a bunch of famous celebs returned to studio 8H for some celebratory sketches. One was the return of "The Californians," where both Betty and Bradley Cooper had obnoxious LA accents, and made out... a lot. If you weren’t jealous of Bradley Cooper before, you will be now. Betty got mad lip skills!

When Rose called Blanche a "hyper sexual b*tch" under her breath on Golden Girls

Rose Nylund on Golden Girls was sweet, unassuming, naive, and kind. So Betty’s performance in this season 6 episode shook viewers who thought they knew what to expect from Rose.

As Blanche (Rue McClanaghan) insists she doesn’t think Rose is smart enough to know about psychology, Rose retorts, “Believe what you want, see if I care . . . hyper-sexual bitch.” What? WHAT?!! This just wasn’t said on polite, family-friendly sitcoms in the 80s. Talk about pushing the envelope!

Rose calls Blanche a “back-stabbing sl*t” on Golden Girls

Once again, Blanche is in Rose’s firing line. In season 5, Rose asked Blanche to go out with her boyfriend Miles so that he would take a hint that Rose no longer wants to be with him. Rose begs and pleads for Blanche to go through with it. Blanche finally relents, and when she leaves to get ready, Rose has an about-face, quipping, “Can you believe that back-stabbing sl*t?” These were not bloopers, we repeat. NOT BLOOPERS.

Almost saying bulls**t on the game show Password

Back in the '60s and '70s, Betty and her husband Allen Ludden were regulars on fun, wholesome game shows like Match Game and Password. On the latter, there was an almost-bleep-able moment when Betty was giving the hint “Bull,” (the password was “whip”), but Betty, being Betty, is about to finish the thought with a TV-no-no. The host literally has to clamp his hand over her mouth to prevent her from cussing “bulls**t.”

“Don’t you dare!” he insists, “I’ve known you too long! I don’t want you to do that!” Let the woman speak! The audience clearly knew what she wanted to say and they were loving it. Fast forward to 1:39 to see it happen.

Giving Johnny Carson a run for his money on The Tonight Show

Long-time Tonight Show host Johnny Carson loved having Betty on his show and she appeared multiple times throughout his decades-long hosting stint. She was a great talk show guest because she always gave as good as she got, and had a wicked streak.

During a 1987 appearance on the show, despite knowing Betty since the '50s, Johnny remarked, “I’ve known you a number of years, but I’m [not] sure I really know you.”

“If you hadn’t gotten in such a rush to get married we could have arranged something,” Betty deadpanned (Johnny had just married his fourth wife).

“You’re somewhere between Mother Theresa and a call girl. And I’m not quite sure where it is,” was Johnny’s reply, and Betty threw her head back and laughed because, real talk, it was probably true.

Betty roasted Joan Rivers to her face

Joan Rivers was known for roasting celebrities in her comedy act, on her titular talk show, and later in life on award show red carpets. Sometimes she got huge laughs, and other times, she rubbed people the wrong way. But Betty had no problem taking it and also dishing it out. In 1983, Joan was guest-hosting The Tonight Show while Johnny Carson was away, and showed the cover of Kennel Review Magazine, where Betty appeared with a dog.

“If you dare say, ‘Who’s that other bitch on the cover?’ I will never speak to you again as long as I live!” Betty quipped. 

Referencing her own cover on People Magazine, Joan says, “PEOPLE wanted me topless but I said no,” to which Betty clapped back, “Weren’t you? It’s so hard to tell!” 

Betty even sneaked in a sexually-provocative joke, deadpanning, “Listen, I don't find the G-spot hard to find at all, it's a cinch. I mean, any guy that touches me, I say, 'Oh gee!”

Betty White truly was the embodiment of the saying, “You only live once, but if you do right, once is enough.”

Cheers to an iconic legend, and happy 100th birthday.

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