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Carol Burnett Walks the SAG Awards Red Carpet in Bedroom Slippers

By Jessica Reveles
Published on: 18:07 PST, Jan 30, 2016

Iconic American actress, singer, producer and writer Carol Burnett took to the red carpet at the 22nd Annual Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards in a bright emerald green blazer and matching floor-length skirt designed by Bob Mackie–complete with gray Ugg slippers–as she prepared to accept the SAG’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

Carol later confessed to cameras she would change into “proper shoes” to accept her award on stage. As far as her ensemble, Burnett put her trust in Mackie to dress her for the Awards. He was responsible for designing more than 60 costumes weekly for the comedienne during The Carol Burnett Show as well as for Broadway appearances.

It’s not the first time Carol has appeared head to toe in green. She famously spoofed Gone With the Wind in 1976 fitted in green drapes including the curtain rod, all of which Mackie conceptualized and designed. The curtain scene was a hit and the sketch took the number two spot in The 50 Funniest Moments in Television in TV Guide‘s January 23-29, 1999 issue.

The 82-year-old living legend is no stranger to awards shows. A pioneer for women in her industry, Burnett has earned 25 Emmys, five Golden Globes, the Mark Twain Prize, 70 nominations and more over the course of her career. She is best known for her long-running self-titled TV variety show, which ran 11 seasons and 278 episodes on CBS from 1967 to 1978, drawing an average of 30 million viewers a week. Burnett defied odds when she advocated specifically for a variety show in a competitive media landscape that lauded male comics like Dean Martin and Jackie Gleason.

Carol continues to work, confiding in The Hollywood Reporter that she’s inspired by contemporary, funny women.

“I do think there are some great female comics: Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph. They’re the whole ball of wax. But I don’t think they could do what we did because we did a musical-comedy extravaganza every week with a 28-piece orchestra, 12 dancers and two guest stars a week, plus we had a studio audience. We’d do it in one hour and 15 minutes, and we’d be out in time to go have dinner.”

Aptly so, Fey and Poehler introduced Burnett and presented her well deserved Lifetime Achievement Award as Burnett looked out on a sea of longtime friends and fans all on their feet and clapping as actor Steve Carell escorted her down the aisle. In her acceptance speech she fondly recalled acting out Hollywood movies as a young girl. She talked about later dominating comedy variety in a “man’s world,” ending with heartfelt thanks and, “I’m so glad we had this time together” as she exited the stage.

Carol Burnett is ever relevant, even in her eighties. She’s appeared on Hawaii Five-0, Hot in Cleveland, Glee and All My Children, and even receives letters from fans as young as 10 years old who watch clips of past performances on YouTube. Burnett’s forthcoming book, In Such Good Company: Eleven Years of Laughter, Mayhem, and Fun in the Sandbox, chronicles the Burnett Show years and is due to be released on September 13, 2016.

[Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images]

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