January 4, 2022
Watch: Vintage Clip of Betty White, Joan Rivers Goes Viral
Kilian Melloy READ TIME: 2 MIN.
A clip from 1983 of Betty White and Joan Rivers verbally sparring with affectionate putdowns has gone viral in the wake of White's death on Dec. 31, mere weeks before her 100th birthday.
The clip showed up on Twitter, among an internet-wide outpouring of tributes to the beloved star of comedies such as "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" and "The Golden Girls," Today reported.
The clip, which appears to be sourced from an old videotape, originates from a 1983 episode of the "The Tonight Show." Rivers, who was guest hosting the show, welcomed White onto the program, and the two engaged in almost ten minutes of fierce, but friendly, insults (the clip captures just over two minutes of the fun).
At one point, as the two comedy legends poked fun at each other about being "cover girls," White produced a magazine with a photo of herself and a dog on the front.
"And if you dare say, 'Who's that other bitch on the cover?' I will never speak to you again for as long as I live," White warned, before saying: "I am the one in the pink jacket."
The ribbing and ribaldry escalated from there, with the duo targeting one anothers' fashion senses and Rivers seizing on the subject of dating when it arose to zing White with, "Oh, I bet you'd be funny on a date if you ever had one."
Even though Farrah Fawcett – a major star and cover girl in her own right – was also present, the two just kept gleefully throwing shade at each other.
Replies to the post shared users' delight at the post.
The full clip runs nine minutes and 22 seconds and is available on YouTube. Watch it below.
Kilian Melloy serves as EDGE Media Network's Associate Arts Editor and Staff Contributor. His professional memberships include the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, the Boston Online Film Critics Association, The Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association, and the Boston Theater Critics Association's Elliot Norton Awards Committee.
