NEED TO KNOW
- Golden Women co-producer Marsha Posner Williams opened up throughout a brand new panel in regards to the alleged feud between stars Bea Arthur and Betty White
- Williams claimed Arthur continuously known as White the “c-word” and that the sequence ended as a result of Arthur didn’t want to proceed
- White beforehand admitted Arthur was “not fond” of her
The Golden Women made followers fall in love with fictional pals, however in actual life the state of affairs was much more sophisticated.
Writers, producers and others who labored on the sequence gathered at NeueHouse Hollywood on June 18 as a part of the monthlong Satisfaction LIVE! Hollywood competition. The panel was in honor of the present’s upcoming fortieth anniversary. The sequence, which ran from 1985 to 1992, starred Bea Arthur as Dorothy Zbornak, Betty White as Rose Nylund, Rue McClanahan as Blanche Devereaux and Estelle Getty as Sophia Petrillo.
In the course of the panel, co-producer Marsha Posner Williams introduced up one of many present’s lasting dramas: the alleged unhealthy blood between Arthur, who died in 2009 at 86, and White, who died in 2019 simply days earlier than her a centesimal birthday.
“When that purple mild was on [and the show was filming], there have been no extra skilled folks than these ladies, however when the purple mild was off, these two couldn’t heat up to one another in the event that they have been cremated collectively,” Williams shared, per The Hollywood Reporter.
Williams mentioned that Arthur usually known as White the c-word. “[She] used to name me at dwelling and say, ‘I simply bumped into that c on the grocery retailer. I’m gonna write her a letter,’ and I mentioned, ‘Bea, simply recover from it for crying out loud. Simply get previous it.’ ” (Sally Struthers mentioned as a lot in her personal bombshell interview about White earlier this yr.)
And the usage of the c-word was not a one-time factor. “I bear in mind, my husband and I went over to Bea’s home a few instances for dinner. Inside 30 seconds of strolling within the door, the c-word got here out,” Williams mentioned. Casting director Joel Thurm additionally mentioned he heard Arthur name White that as properly.
As for why the ladies didn’t get alongside, the panelists had totally different theories. Co-producer Jim Vallely thought it was as a result of White — who had discovered legions of followers due to her function as Sue Ann Nivens on The Mary Tyler Moore Present — acquired extra applause throughout reside tapings, however Williams mentioned Arthur hated publicity and didn’t care about that. She additionally remembered that Arthur “hated” when White would “break character” in the course of taping and converse to the in-person viewers.
Williams claimed that Arthur was the explanation The Golden Women ended. “The present would have continued after seven years,” she mentioned. “Their contracts have been up and … the executives went to the women, and Estelle mentioned, ‘Sure, let’s preserve going,’ and Rue mentioned, ‘Sure let’s preserve going,’ and Betty mentioned, ‘Sure, let’s preserve going.’ And Bea mentioned ‘no f—— manner,’ and that’s why that present didn’t proceed.” White, Getty and McClanahan continued the sequence within the ill-fated spin-off The Golden Palace.
Again in 2024, TV author Stan Zimmerman, who labored on the sequence, wrote in his e-book The Women: From Golden to Gilmore, that he didn’t know in regards to the alleged points between the 2 actresses. “Throughout our time on set, I by no means felt pressure between the 2,” he wrote. “I solely heard tales and not too long ago discovered, from producer Marsha Posner Williams on a podcast, that Bea thought Betty was two-faced.”
“Bea favored actual folks,” he wrote. “I had the sense that Betty was extra like Sue Ann Nivens, the character she performed on The Mary Tyler Moore Present, than she was like Rose. Extra conniving than the harmless airhead from St. Olaf.”
Williams instructed Broadcast Beat in 2022, “Bea Arthur despised Betty White.” Of Arthur, who had beforehand starred on Maude, she mentioned, “The factor is Bea was precisely who she was. She hated to put on make-up. She hated to put on sneakers. She hated to clean her hair. She didn’t wish to be touched. She drank numerous vodka. That’s who she was. However if you’re on a success present and also you need it to maintain going, you higher make good and so they did.”
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Arthur’s son Matthew Saks reiterated to Nearer in 2017 that his mom didn’t like when White spoke to the viewers, clarifying, “It wasn’t jealousy. It was a spotlight factor.”
He continued, “My mother unknowingly carried the perspective that it was enjoyable to have any individual to be offended at. It was nearly like Betty grew to become her nemesis, somebody she might at all times roll her eyes about at work.”
At a 2011 occasion, White additionally admitted of Arthur, “She was not that keen on me. She discovered me a ache within the neck generally,” per The Village Voice. She credited her “optimistic perspective.”
