Carol Burnett turns 90 with TV songs, laughs and Cher rocking Bob Mackie: 'I wanted it this way'

LOS ANGELES – Carol Burnett didn't want to blow out candles to celebrate her 90th birthday. The pioneering host of CBS' classic "The Carol Burnett Show" wanted a blowout TV special.

That’s why Burnett, who turns 90 Wednesday, jumped at the opportunity to mark her milestone with NBC's star-studded two-hour special, "Carol Burnett: 90 Years of Laughter + Love” (8 EDT/PDT).

“Rather than a birthday bash or whatever with candles and balloons, I wanted a show like you haven't seen in a long time, with a 19-piece orchestra, singers and wonderful music. I wanted a variety show,” says Burnett, who earned TV immortality with the increasingly rare format. "That's why I wanted it this way."

Consider this birthday wish granted, as stars from Cher to Charlize Theron celebrate the icon with the special, filmed last month at the Avalon Hollywood Theater.

In an interview earlier this month, Burnett still looks ready to hit the comedy stage, even if she's having trouble comprehending how the years have gone by.

"Ninety is hard to wrap my head around, because I don't feel it. And 90 is a big number," says Burnett, who credits frequent treadmill walks and healthy eating for her continued vibrant demeanor. "Walking is good, and I'm very careful about what I eat."

Yet Burnett doesn't appear onstage for the special, instead taking a table-of-honor seat where she could be seen laughing and clutching the hand of her best chum of 62 years, Julie Andrews, 87, during surprise moments.

Burnett says she was "absolutely gobsmacked" by moments including video messages from first lady Jill Biden and former first lady Michelle Obama.

"That was pretty shocking," says Burnett, who didn't mind that former first lady Melania Trump, who is turning 53, didn't send regards. "Melania has the same birthday as me. But she doesn't have a comedy special."

Who performs at Carol Burnett's birthday special?

Bernadette Peters, Billy Porter, Jane Lynch and Kristn Chenoweth perform songs, while other comedians, including Amy Poehler, Ellen DeGeneres, Kristen Wiig and Lisa Kudrow, pay tribute to Burnett's trailblazing career.

"It's very sweet. They often say, 'You paved the way for me,'" she says. "But I say, 'If I'd never been born, they'd be doing exactly what they're doing.'"

"Love + Laughter" covers the breadth of Burnett's stellar career, including her performance as Miss Hannigan in the 1982 musical "Annie" (with a tribute from the actress who played Annie, Aileen Quinn) and her dark role as treacherous Marion in the final season of "Better Call Saul" (an appreciation from fan Bob Odenkirk).

But the birthday special leans into "The Carol Burnett Show," which earned 25 Emmys during its CBS reign from 1967-78. The special resurfaces timeless clips featuring Burnett with late co-stars Harvey Korman, Tim Conway and Lyle Waggoner (who died in 2008, 2019 and 2020, respectively).

"It still holds up, because we never wanted it to be topical," says Burnett. "We wanted it to be belly laughs and vaudeville." (Reruns air on MeTV.)

Remaining cast member Vicki Lawrence, 74, paid tribute to the comedy mentor, who hired the aspiring actress after she sent a fan letter. Designer Bob Mackie, 83, showed off the iconic costumes he designed during the show's 11-year run.

"Over 11 years, Bob Mackie designed 17,000 costumes. That's 65 to 70 costumes a show. Not just for me, but for everyone," says Burnett. "And he loved doing the funny stuff."

Most memorable is the Miss Starlett curtain dress Burnett changed into during a classic "Gone With the Wind" spoof. For the new special, Maya Rudolph donned the curtain-and-rod creation, which is part of the Smithsonian National Museum collection.

"That took only two minutes to get that on me, because it was a quick change in a skit that was live (to tape) on TV," says Burnett. "So they just plopped it on. But it was heavy."

Cher wore a Bob Mackie gown onstage

Fashion icon Cher wore a towering Bob Mackie gown and reminisced about her longtime friendship with Burnett, which flourished during her appearances on "The Carol Burnett Show."

"It was so sweet that Cher mentioned that she used to borrow clothes that Bob Mackie designed for me, and I love when Cher said we were the same size," says Burnett.

Cher took a seat with Burnett and Andrews at the main table and botched her first take introducing a musical stage act. Cher cursed comically about her own miscue before nailing the intro the second time.

"It was very funny," says Burnett, who hopes the "screw-up" is part of the extended version of the show, streaming on Peacock April 27. "We were 33 minutes over, and the network told us we had to cut some of the stuff. But it's not lost forever."

What is Carol Burnett doing on her birthday?

Spoiler alert, Burnett sang briefly for the special, when Katy Perry handed her the microphone to sing the final words of the famed "Carol Burnett Show" signoff, "So Glad We Had This Time Together." It got emotional; Burnett teared up.

The song gets more profound "after all these years," says Burnett. "That will probably be written on my tombstone."

While "Laughter + Love" is airing, Burnett will be celebrating her birthday at dinner with her husband of 22 years, Brian Miller, near her Santa Barbara home. She won't be watching.

"We've seen it," Burnett says with a laugh. "We're going to out to dinner with friends. But there will be cake."

Keep the Carol Burnett love burning: Read on

• Video: Watch as the stars come out to pay tribute to Carol Burnett

• Mad about Carol: Carol Burnett is returning to the 'Mad About You' revival

• Carol Burnett Talks about her favorite guest stars

• Tim Conway dies at 85: Carol Burnett is 'heartbroken'

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Carol Burnett's 90th birthday special stars Cher, Bob Mackie creations