Not only will Carol Burnett be presented with the Golden Globes’ inaugural television special achievement award, the new prize has been named in her honor. As the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), the organization behind the Globes, announced, the Carol Burnett Award recognizes “the highest level of achievement” in TV. Burnett has won five Golden Globes herself and is “the most decorated of all time in the television category.”
The multi-hyphenate will accept the first Carol Burnett Award during the Golden Globes’ awards ceremony next month. “Future recipients will be chosen based on their body of work and the lasting impact that their television career achievements have had on both the industry and audiences,” the HFPA specified.
“For more than 50 years, comedy trailblazer Carol Burnett has been breaking barriers while making us laugh,” said HFPA President Meher Tatna. “She was the first woman to host a variety sketch show, ‘The Carol Burnett Show.’ She was also the first woman to win both the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor and Kennedy Center Honors. And now we add another first to her running list: the first recipient — and namesake — of the new Golden Globe top honor for achievement in television, the Carol Burnett Award.” Tatna added, “We are profoundly grateful for her contributions to the entertainment industry and honored to celebrate her legacy forever at the Golden Globes.”
“The Carol Burnett Show,” Burnett’s influential sketch series, ran from 1967 to 1978 on CBS. “Annie,” “Carol & Company,” “The Four Seasons,” “Mad About You,” and “Mama’s Family” are among her other notable credits. She’s the host of Netflix’s “A Little Help with Carol Burnett,” a talk show that sees kids doling out advice to a live audience. Burnett created the series.
Burnett has won six Emmys from a whopping 22 nominations, a Peabody Award, SAG’s Lifetime Achievement Award, Crystal and Lucy Awards from Women in Film, and many other trophies. An inductee to the Television Hall of Fame, she’s launched several scholarships such as UCLA’s Carol Burnett Musical Theatre Competition and the Carrie Hamilton Foundation, in honor of her daughter.
The Golden Globes will be held January 6. No women were nominated for Best Director and all the films up for Best Drama, Best Musical or Comedy, and Best Animated Film are helmed by men.
