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Carol Burnett recently reflected on a revealing conversation she had with Lucille Ball, where the comedy legend opened up about her journey to empowerment following her separation from Desi Arnaz.
During an episode of Amy Poehler‘s podcast, Good Hang, aired on February 3, Burnett, now 92, shared insights from her time collaborating with Ball on The Carol Burnett Show. She recalled a poignant story that Ball confided in her during their working relationship.
“We took a break for dinner,” Burnett recounted, as reported by People. “So we headed to the nearby farmer’s market, and over a couple of whiskey sours, she said to me, ‘You know, kid’—since my then-husband Joe was producing our show—‘You’re lucky to have Joe handling everything for you.’”
Burnett elaborated that Ball then discussed the behind-the-scenes responsibilities Arnaz managed during their marriage and how her role evolved post-divorce. The iconic I Love Lucy duo ended their 20-year marriage in 1960.
“She confessed, ‘When I was married to the Cuban… Desi took care of everything. He invented the three-camera setup, managed the scripts, costumes, lighting. All I had to do was step in and be silly Lucy on Monday and perform the show. Then we got divorced,’” Burnett recalled.
According to Burnett, Ball described feeling the absence of Arnaz’s guidance when she began work on her next project.
“So they had a script reading of the new Lucy show. And she said, ‘It was terrible, and I thought, Desi wasn’t here to fix it. I called lunch. And I went back, and I figured I have to be strong, I have to be not afraid, you know,’” Burnett recalled.
Burnett said Ball ultimately pushed herself to take control and assert her authority.
“So she went back, and she said, ‘I told them in no uncertain terms what they had to do, how to fix it, I was just really tough,’” Burnett shared. “And then she took another little drink, and she said, ‘And kid, that’s when they put the ‘S’ on the end of my last name.’”
Burnett also shared how she first met Ball, recalling that the comedy legend attended the second night of her Broadway musical, Once Upon a Mattress.
“So I remember, I was stupid. I peeked through, and I saw this orange hair in the second row and [thought] oh my God,” Burnett said. “Anyway, I got through the show, and she wanted to come backstage. And it was in an off-Broadway theater, and it was really funky, you know, I had a couch where the coil was sticking up. … Lucille Ball, she comes in, and she headed for the couch, and I said, ‘Oh, look,’ and she said, ‘No, I see it.’”
“She sat on the right end of the couch and well, God, 20, 25 minutes. And she called me ‘Kid.’ She was 22 years older. And as she was leaving, she said, ‘Kid, if you ever need me for anything, you give me a call.’”