Carol Burnett Net Worth

What is Carol Burnett's Net Worth and Salary?

Carol Burnett is a groundbreaking American actress, comedian, singer, and writer who has a net worth of $45 million. Carol Burnett's six-decade career helped redefine television comedy. She is best known as the star and creator of the variety show "The Carol Burnett Show," which aired from 1967 to 1978 and became one of the most influential comedy programs in TV history. Blending sketch comedy, musical numbers, and celebrity guest appearances, the show showcased Burnett's remarkable versatility and earned her widespread acclaim, including 25 Primetime Emmy Awards for the series during its run. Her signature ear tug at the end of each episode—a nod to her grandmother—became a beloved tradition.

Burnett's success came at a time when women were rarely given the opportunity to headline their own comedy shows, making her a trailblazer for future generations of female performers. She created memorable characters like Eunice from the "Mama's Family" sketches and parodied classic films in elaborate skits that often included full musical numbers. Beyond her show, Burnett had success on stage and in films, appearing in productions like "Annie," "The Four Seasons," and "Noises Off."

Over the years, Burnett has received numerous accolades, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom, a Kennedy Center Honor, a Tony nomination, and the inaugural Golden Globe Carol Burnett Award for lifetime achievement in television. Her legacy lies not only in her groundbreaking work but also in her warmth, wit, and ability to connect with audiences across generations.

Early Life

Carol Creighton Burnett was born on April 26, 1933, in San Antonio, Texas. Both of her parents were involved in the acting world, as her mother was a publicity writer for movie studios, and her father managed a cinema. However, she was mostly raised by her grandmother, as both of her parents struggled with alcoholism. By the late 30s, her parents had divorced, and Carol Burnett moved to Hollywood. Once again, she lived with her grandmother and was raised in a boarding house alongside her half-sister, Chrissie.

Carol's grandmother was a trained musician, and her mother played the ukulele, which led to Carol's fascination with music and singing from an early age. Carol's grandmother also took her to the movie theaters often, sparking an early interest in film. As a young girl, she worked at a movie theater.

Following her graduation from high school in 1951, Carol Burnette was anonymously given an envelope containing $50, which would cover one year of tuition at UCLA. Focusing on theatre arts and English, she was initially forced into studying acting as a prerequisite for her chosen career path as a playwright. Although she was reluctant at first, she fell in love with acting and the appreciation she felt from the audience when performing.

After this positive experience, Carol Burnett appeared in a range of university theater productions. Although her mother disapproved of her acting ambitions, Burnett eventually set a goal of traveling to New York to star in a musical.

After attending a party hosted by her professor, Carol Burnett ran into a man and his wife who offered to give her a ride home. Carol revealed her dream of traveling to New York, and this mysterious man offered her an interest-free loan of $1,000 so she and her boyfriend could make the trip and become established in New York. As per his instructions, Carol Burnett never revealed the identity of this man. In the year that she traveled to New York, her father passed away from long-standing complications related to alcoholism.

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Early Career

Carol Burnett moved to New York in the mid-1950s with dreams of making it as a performer, though success didn't come immediately. Her first year was marked by rejection and financial struggle. Things began to shift in 1955 when she landed a minor role on "The Paul Winchell and Jerry Mahoney Show," followed by a part in the short-lived sitcom "Stanley," opposite Buddy Hackett. Burnett's flair for comedy and music quickly found a more fitting stage in New York's vibrant nightclub and cabaret scene, where she gained attention with a humorous number titled "I Made a Fool of Myself Over John Foster Dulles." The satirical song earned headlines after it caught the attention of then-Secretary of State John Foster Dulles himself.

Her big break came on television variety shows, beginning with appearances on game shows like "Pantomime Quiz" and comedy hours such as "The Jack Paar Show" and "The Ed Sullivan Show." However, her star truly rose after joining "The Garry Moore Show" as a regular cast member in 1959. Her performances—including sketch comedy, musical numbers, and heartfelt monologues—earned her a Primetime Emmy Award in 1962 and positioned her as one of television's brightest new talents. Throughout the early 1960s, Burnett transitioned seamlessly between television and Broadway, appearing in acclaimed stage productions like "Once Upon a Mattress," which earned her a Tony nomination and introduced her to a national audience when it was later televised.

The Carol Burnett Show

In 1967, Carol Burnett made television history by launching "The Carol Burnett Show" on CBS, one of the few prime-time variety shows ever hosted by a woman. The program was a groundbreaking blend of comedy sketches, musical performances, celebrity guest appearances, and audience Q&A segments. Burnett's unmatched versatility and warmth as a performer made the show a massive success, running for 11 seasons until 1978. It earned 23 Primetime Emmy Awards and helped launch the careers of comedy icons like Vicki Lawrence, Tim Conway, Harvey Korman, and Lyle Waggoner. Signature characters like Eunice and Mrs. Wiggins, along with her iconic closing gesture—tugging her ear as a message to her grandmother—cemented her place in television history.

After the show ended, Burnett remained active across film, television, and theater. She starred in films such as "The Four Seasons," "Annie," "Seasons of the Heart," "Noises Off," and voiced a role in "Horton Hears a Who!" She also guest-starred in numerous television series, including "All My Children," "Mad About You" (which earned her a second Emmy), "Desperate Housewives," "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," and "Hawaii Five-0." On Broadway, she returned with standout performances in "Moon Over Buffalo" and Stephen Sondheim's revue "Putting It Together."

Though she gradually scaled back her public appearances in the 2010s, Burnett remained a revered figure in entertainment. In 2019, the Golden Globes honored her legacy with the creation of the Carol Burnett Award, recognizing lifetime achievement in television—an award she was the first to receive. Her career not only redefined the variety show format but also paved the way for future generations of women in comedy and television.

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Relationships

During college, Carol Burnett met her first husband, Dan Saroyan. Although they were married in 1955, they divorced in 1962. In 1963, she married TV producer Joe Hamilton and had three children with him before their divorce in 1984. One of the main contributing factors to their separation was their daughter's struggle with drug addiction. In 2001, Carol Burnett married Hollywood Bowl Orchestra drummer Brian Miller, who was 23 years her junior.

Real Estate

In 1999, Carol Burnett purchased an ocean-view house in Montecito, California, for $2 million. She then oversaw extensive renovations to her new one-story, 5,000-square-foot home, including extensive kitchen remodeling. At the time, reports suggested that Burnett planned to make the house her primary home.

In 2001, Oprah Winfrey spent $50 million on a home in Montecito. This sparked what journalists dubbed "the Oprah effect," which influenced other homeowners in the area to list their homes for inflated prices. One of these homeowners was Carol Burnett, who subsequently listed her Montecito home for $36 million. Years later, it was reported that Carol Burnett was still living in her Montecito home despite her earlier efforts to sell.

In 2008, Burnett sold her Trump Tower apartment for $5.58 million. The luxurious 2,000-square-foot condo directly overlooks Central Park.

In 2002, Carol Burnett paid $1.2 million for an apartment on Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles. She listed this apartment for sale in October 2022 for $4.2 million. She sold this unit in April 2023 for $3.7 million.

In the early 1990s, Carol bought an 8-acre property in Santa Fe, New Mexico, for an undisclosed amount. She proceeded to build a 7,500-square-foot, 7-bedroom, 11-bathroom mansion. A later owner eventually expanded the mansion to 9,500 square feet. The mansion was featured on the cover of Architectural Digest in 1996. Carol sold the property in 1998 after listing it the previous year for a little under $4 million. Here is a video tour from mid-2021 when the Carol Burnett Santa Fe Estate was listed for $6 million:

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