‘The Carol Burnett Show’: Is Carol Burnett Married?
Comedy giant Carol Burnett is a veritable legend of stage and screen.
As the first woman to host a comedy variety show on a major network – The Carol Burnett Show, which enjoyed 11 years of success from 1967 to 1978 – she broke barriers as a performer and creator. Along the way, she received numerous honors, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom and multiple Golden Globe Awards (including one named after her).
Over the years, 87-year-old Burnett also married three times and became a mother to three children. Here’s what to know about the TV icon’s marriages.
Carol Burnett first tied the knot with her college sweetheart
Burnett was born in San Antonio, Texas. She and her parents, Ina Louise and Joseph Burnett, moved to Los Angeles soon afterward.
According to Biography.com, Burnett’s parents were unable to care for her after their divorce because of financial problems and alcoholism. Her grandmother, Mabel White, stepped in, moving Burnett to a small apartment in Hollywood while struggling to make a living.
Burnett graduated from Hollywood High School in 1951. Her interest in theatre, especially comedy, developed at UCLA, where she quickly switched her major from journalism to drama.
It was there that Burnett met Don Saroyan, her first husband and a fellow college student. The young couple struggled to make ends meet, but they still harbored dreams of success. Upon seeing Burnett in a performance during her junior year at UCLA, a mysterious businessman approached the young couple and offered them a $1,000 loan if they agreed to move to New York City and try to make it as actors.
Saroyan, originally from Omaha, Nebraska, was five years older than Burnett. She was 22 when they tied the knot on Dec. 15, 1955. The marriage lasted only seven years, with the couple calling it quits in 1962.
Saroyan later worked as a production coordinator and producer and had a few small TV roles throughout the 1980s. He died in 1990 at the age of 62 (IMDb).
The ‘Annie’ star then married a divorced dad of eight
After Burnett and Saroyan divorced on Sept. 25, 1962, she moved on fairly quickly with Emmy Award-winning producer Joe Hamilton. A former singer and composer, Hamilton met Burnett while she was a series regular on The Garry Moore Show, which he produced.
Like Burnett, Hamilton had already been married. He had eight children with his first wife, Gloria Hartley. According to UPI, he legally divorced Hartley on May 4, 1963 – the same day he married Burnett.
Burnett and her second husband went on to work together on a number of projects. Hamilton served as the executive producer of The Carol Burnett Show and even composed the theme song.
The couple also became parents to three children: Carrie, Jody, and Erin Hamilton. Their oldest daughter, Carrie Hamilton (who sadly passed away from pneumonia in 2002) developed an addiction during her teen years that – along with Burnett’s wildly busy career – began to strain her second marriage.
Hamilton and Burnett agreed to a trial separation in 1982, when their three daughters were still teens. The star stayed in Hawaii while they tried to work things out, while Hamilton remained in Los Angeles. Ultimately, the couple called it quits two years later in 1984 after over 20 years of marriage.
She is now married to a drummer
Burnett stayed single for many years after her divorce from Hamilton.
The Annie star met her third husband, professional drummer Brian Miller, while they were both working on a musical in 1993. They were just friends at first before they ran into each other several years later and ended up spending the day together. They dated for several years before getting married on Nov. 24, 2001.
Miller is 23 years younger than Burnett. According to AmoMama, he has worked as a principal drummer at venues like the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra and the Pantages Theatre Orchestra. The couple has been married for 20 years as of 2021.
