ALWAYS SAD –
Jan. 15, 2026 – Screen legend Carol Burnett reflected on her career — and even shared some details about her personal life — more than seven decades after getting her start in Hollywood.
Burnett, 92, went from dreams of becoming a journalist to taking on Broadway before she became a sitcom star. However, rejection was one thing she never took personally. “I can’t remember what I was auditioning for. Might have been a commercial or something. … I was just starting out, and it was kind of narrowed down to between me and another girl. I thought I had it, but I didn’t,” Burnett recalled during the Wednesday, January 14, episode of the “IMO” podcast. “I don’t know where this came from, but I thought, ‘It’s her turn. It’s not my turn. My turn will come. It’s her turn.’”
Burnett kept a similar mindset throughout her career, and always knew when it was her turn to shine. Keep scrolling for the biggest revelations from the actress’ “IMO” podcast episode:Burnett recalled “desperately” wanting to go to UCLA for college, but her family couldn’t afford it. However, something changed when the actress received an anonymous letter.
“The letter had my name, typewritten, address, there was a three-cent stamp on it,” she said. “They hadn’t mailed it. Somebody put it in there. I opened it up and there was a $50 bill, and to this day, I do not know where that came from … I said, ‘I’m going to UCLA.’”
