Carol Burnett To Receive Namesake Lifetime Achievement Award At 2019 Golden Globes
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association has the prestigious Cecil B. DeMille award for accomplishments made in the film industry, but there’s been no equivalent for television achievements — until now, E! News is reporting. This new award will be named after the legendary TV star Carol Burnett, who starred in The Carol Burnett Show for 11 years. The show won a whopping 25 Emmys in total, making Burnett the perfect candidate for the new award’s namesake.
“Equivalent to its film accolade counterpart, the Cecil B. DeMille Award, this new annual award will honor TV’s biggest names and brightest talents,” explained Meher Tatna, president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. “Honorees will be selected based on their outstanding accomplishments, as well as the impact and influence that their television career has had on the industry and audiences. The importance of this presentation is underscored by the fact that this is the first special achievement award of its kind since the DeMille Award was originally presented in 1952.”
Who will be the first to win this annual award? Burnett, of course, who made humongous strides for women in comedy.
“For more than 50 years, comedy trailblazer Carol Burnett has been breaking barriers while making us laugh,” said 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. We are profoundly grateful for her contributions to the entertainment industry and honored to celebrate her legacy forever at the Golden Globes.”
According to Variety, the numerous Emmy awards are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to all the accolades Burnett has received over the years. Burnett is the recipient of the Horatio Alger Award, an Ace Award, the Peabody, a Grammy, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. In addition, she has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and has been inducted into the Television Hall of Fame. In 2016, she received the lifetime achievement award at the SAG Awards.
Burnett celebrated the 50th anniversary of her show this year by filming a CBS special that visited old sketches and honored the show’s success. She will receive the new Carol Burnett Award live during the 2019 Golden Globes, airing January 6 at 8 pm EST.
