NBC will celebrate Carol Burnett’s 90th birthday with Carol Burnett: 90 Years of Laughter + Love, premiering April 26 at 8 PM ET (check local listings) and streaming the following day on Peacock.
The two-hour special, filmed at Avalon Hollywood in Los Angeles, will feature musical performances from Tony winners Bernadette Peters, Billy Porter, and Kristin Chenoweth plus Jane Lynch and Katy Perry. The musical tributes will include “Old Friends,” dedicated to Burnett's 60-year friendship with Julie Andrews; “Only an Octave Apart,” which Burnett sang alongside the late Beverly Sills in the 1976 TV special Sills and Burnett at the Met; Burnett's songs from the film version of Annie; and a tribute to her classic theme song, “I’m So Glad We Had This Time Together” from The Carol Burnett Show.
Special guests will include Aileen Quinn, Amy Poehler, Bill Hader, Bob Mackie, Cher, Ellen DeGeneres, Andrews, Kristen Wiig, Laura Dern, Lily Tomlin, Marisa Tomei, Sofia Vergara, Steve Carell, Susan Lucci, Vicki Lawrence, and more.
Check out photos from the star-studded filming below:
TV watchers can expect to enjoy some of the more memorable moments of Burnett's award-winning career, from her Broadway debut in Once Upon a Mattress and her early appearances on The Garry Moore Show through her film work in The Four Seasons, A Wedding, Pete ‘n’ Tillie, and Annie, plus her Emmy-winning The Carol Burnett Show, which ran for 11 seasons on CBS. John McDaniel is the music director.
“I’m so excited NBC decided to throw me a birthday party and invited all of my closest friends,” Burnett said in an earlier statement. “I can’t wait to look back at so many wonderful moments throughout my career, I feel so lucky to share this night with everyone.”
“This special is going to be the best party ever,” added Mark Bracco, executive producer and president of Silent House Productions. “It will be an evening of music, comedy and dozens of big stars paying tribute to the one and only Carol Burnett. We look forward to everyone at home celebrating right along with us.”
Burnett, who was awarded a Special Tony Award in 1969, was nominated for Tonys for her performances in Once Upon a Mattress and Moon Over Buffalo. She has also been seen on Broadway in Fade Out-Fade In, the Stephen Sondheim revue Putting It Together, Hollywood Arms, and Love Letters. Burnett is also a 22-time Emmy Award winner.
Carol Burnett: 90 Years of Laughter + Love is executive produced by Burnett, Brian Miller, Steve Sauer, Paul Miller and Baz Halpin, and Mark Bracco & Linda Gierahn of Silent House Productions.