President Joe Biden hails the late Betty White 'an icon and a pioneer'
President Joe Biden has celebrated the late Betty White “an icon and a pioneer”
The 79-year-old commander-in-chief paid tribute to the ‘Golden Girls’ star - who passed away on New Year’s Eve (31.12.21), nearly two weeks shy of her 100th birthday - and reflected on the legacy she has left behind as a part of the NBC primetime special ‘Celebrating Betty White: America’s Golden Girl', which aired on Monday (31.01.22).
He said: "Betty White was an American treasure. An icon and a pioneer. She challenged conventions. With every laugh and smile she opened our hearts, but above all, she moved our souls, and the soul of our nation. What a gift we'll always treasure. God bless you, Betty. We all love you."
Betty - who died after suffering complications from a stroke - was praised by many other big names on the show, such as Drew Barrymore, Cher, Bryan Cranston, Goldie Hawn, Carol Burnett, Jay Leno, Joel McHale, Ted Danson, Mary Steenburgen and Ellen DeGeneres.
Joel recalled how he persuaded Betty to appear in his family Christmas card alongside his wife Sarah and their two sons, Eddie and Isaac, when she guest starred on 'Community'.
He said: "We had had a lot of guest stars come through, but by a mile, ten miles, everyone wanted their picture with Betty.
"When I said Betty White's going to be on the show, my wife was like, 'Oh, I would like to come down and I will bring the boys.'"
The family chose the photo for their holiday card that year, and Joel praised working with the legendary star in her guest stint.
He said: "So funny and so lighthearted. She made you want to be kinda better. And I know that sounds like such a cliché but you really did. And I was like, 'Oh, that's how you do it.'"
