Betty White's 100th birthday is coming to theatres

Betty White is a national (ahem, international?) treasure, so of course she deserves something spectacular to help her ring in her 100^th birthday. Because in 2022, don’t we all finally deserve nice things?

In honour of the Golden Girl hitting the impressive birthday milestone on January 17, Fathom Events is putting out a one-day, U.S. theatrical release of the biggest party White may have ever thrown: a filmed special called Betty White: 100 Years Young—A Birthday Celebration.

The event will hit 900 American theatres, but at time of press, none in Canada have followed suit (with many venues recently told to decrease overall capacity size in the ongoing fight against Coronavirus). We can’t see the filmmakers keeping this gem of a special to themselves for long though; not when it’s Betty White we’re talking about. It will end up on a TV screen somewhere, we’re preeeetty sure. 

For now, we know that the special is an intimate, behind-the-scenes look at White’s life offscreen, and that it digs into her relationship with her office staff and her passion as an animal advocate. Of course, it’s not a party if some of your nearest and dearest aren’t there to celebrate with you. That’s why White is also welcoming some of her longtime friends to share the screen with her.

So far, the likes of Ryan Reynolds, Tina Fey, Robert Redford, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Clint Eastwood, Morgan Freeman, Jay Leno, Carol Burnett, Craig Ferguson, Jimmy Kimmel, Valerie Bertinelli, James Corden, Wendy Malick and Jennifer Love Hewitt will stop by, making it an A-List event to be sure.

“Who doesn’t love a party?!? This one is gonna be great,” White said in a statement. “Great” may be a bit of an understatement, Betty.

The special will also show off clips from White’s very impressive and long career. Think footage from projects like Golden Girls and The Mary Tyler Moore Show, but also Hot in Cleveland and Saturday Night Live. Heck, we hear even her award-winning Super Bowl commercial for Snickers is included in the mix.

Fans are so pumped for the event that White started trending on Twitter shortly after the announcement, leading some to frantically Google her name to ensure that she was okay (as we do every time she trends). 

“We didn’t want this day to pass without bringing together all the people that love her, from her co-stars and friends to her many millions of fans of all ages, to celebrate her 100th birthday with an entertaining and loving look at what makes Betty a national treasure,” filmmaker Steve Boettcher said in a statement.

Only 31 days to go until your big centennial, Betty. You got this.

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