The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) announced today that legendary TV icon Carol Burnett will receive the first-ever Golden Globe television special achievement award, aptly named the Carol Burnett Award, honoring the highest level of achievement in the medium. A five-time Golden Globe winner and the most decorated of all time in the television category, Burnett will accept the honor at the awards ceremony that will air live coast to coast on Sunday, Jan. 6, 2019 from 5-8 p.m. PT/8-11 p.m. ET on NBC from The Beverly Hilton.
Viewed by millions around the world, the Golden Globes is the premier ceremony to honor the very best in television and film. As the television landscape continues to evolve with more thought-provoking programming, diverse roles and best in class content, the HFPA has established the Carol Burnett Award to celebrate the medium’s new Golden Age. Equivalent to its film accolade counterpart, the Cecil B. deMille Award, the Carol Burnett Award will be presented annually to an honoree who has made outstanding contributions to television on or off the screen. Future recipients will be chosen based on their body of work and the lasting impact that their television career achievements have had on both the industry and audiences.
“For more than 50 years, comedy trailblazer Carol Burnett has been breaking barriers while making us laugh,” said HFPA President Meher Tatna. “She was the first woman to host a variety sketch show, The Carol Burnett Show. She was also the first woman to win both the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor and Kennedy Center Honors. And now we add another first to her running list: the first recipient – and namesake – of the new Golden Globe top honor for achievement in television, the Carol Burnett Award. We are profoundly grateful for her contributions to the entertainment industry and honored to celebrate her legacy forever at the Golden Globes.”

Carol at the Globes (clockwise from top): in 1977, with actor Jan Michael Vincent and her Golden Globe; in 1979, presenting with director Milos Forman; and in 1977 again, with fellow Golden Globe winner Henry Winkler.

hfpa archives

Burnett, an award-winning actress, and best-selling author is widely recognized by the public and her peers for her comedic and dramatic roles on television, film and Broadway, most notably “The Carol Burnett Show.” Named in 2007 by Time magazine as one of 100 Best Television Shows of All Time, “The Carol Burnett Show” ran for 11 years, averaged 30 million viewers per week and received 25 Emmy Awards, making it one of the most honored shows in television history.
As a highly acclaimed actress, Burnett also has been honored with Emmys, People’s Choice Awards, the Horatio Alger Award, an Ace Award, the Peabody and a Grammy. A Kennedy Center Honoree, the recipient of the Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for Humor and the Presidential Medal of Freedom, she was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The City of Los Angeles named the intersection of Highland Avenue and Selma Avenue directly adjacent to Hollywood High School, Burnett’s alma mater, Carol Burnett Square and CBS Studios dedicated “The Carol Burnett Artist Entrance” in her honor. Burnett was celebrated by her colleagues and fellow actors with the Life Achievement Award at the 2016 SAG Awards.
The 50^th Anniversary of The Carol Burnett Show special aired on CBS in 2017 to enormous ratings and highlighted the multi-generational appeal and strength of a show as relevant now as it was 50 years ago.
As a passionate supporter of the arts and education, she established several scholarships around the country, including the Carol Burnett Musical Theater Competition at her alma mater, UCLA, and the Carrie Hamilton Foundation, to honor her daughter’s memory.