Betty White Described an Unpleasant Fan Interaction That Left Her Covered in Ink
Betty White has fans all over the world. Some go to great lengths to meet the actress and get an autograph. White recalled one experience she had with a fan that didn’t go well. At the end of their interaction, she was left with ink all over her coat. Here’s what The Golden Girls star said about that day.
Betty White appreciates her fans
White has had unpleasant experiences with fans, but she does appreciate the viewers who support her. In her autobiography, White discusses the fans who write her letters and greet her at the airport or in the street. She describes the greetings as “warm and friendly.” She says they’re probably friendly because they have been watching her on television for years.
White also appreciates the members of The Betty White Fan Club, which was started around 1971. The members call themselves “Bett’s Pets.” White says the club went by this name because at the beginning, the primary goal of the club was to help animals.
The former Hot in Cleveland actor is a big fan of animals, as well as an animal advocate, which is why the club chose to make animals the theme. Twice a year (on Christmas and for White’s birthday), the fan club donates money to an animal charity in her name.
Betty White had a bad fan experience
In her autobiography, White recalled the time she met a rude fan. Before the fan encounter, White had just received a white mink jacket as an anniversary gift from her late husband, Allen Ludden. (White makes sure to let readers know this happened in 1963 before people realized it wasn’t right to wear fur.) White says the jacket was “gorgeous,” and she was “thrilled beyond description.”
White’s new fur jacket didn’t stay white for long. She says she and Ludden were stepping out of a taxi when the fan rushed up to them and pushed an autograph book and fountain pen toward her. Instead of asking politely for an autograph, White says the man simply said, “Hey! Sign this!”
White says the fan was so aggressive that the fountain pen exploded all over her white jacket. She joked that she now knows why it’s called a fountain pen. “[The pen] literally erupted, with bright blue ink, all down the front of my brand-new jacket,” she writes.
White’s coat was ruined, but she says the fan kept insisting on an autograph. According to her, he said, “Sign it!” White ignored the rude fan and left so she could try to remove the large ink stain. Unfortunately, the coat was ruined. White says the cleaners removed the blue stain, but a yellow stain was left in its place.
Betty White says her fans ‘amaze’ her
White didn’t let that one bad experience affect how she views her fans. She says she continues to be amazed by her wonderful fans. One thing she appreciates is when she goes to different tapings and events and sees groups of people waiting to greet her and ask for autographs. “How do they know my schedule when I hardly know it myself?” she jokes.
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