Sally Struthers, the actress known for playing Gloria Stivic in the sitcom All in the Family, revealed during a recent interview that the late "Golden Girl" Betty White fat-shamed her while they were working together for a game show pilot back in the day.
Videos by Wide Open Country
Struthers made an appearance on an episode of "Let's Talk About That! With Larry Saperstein and Jacob Bellotti" on Monday, January 13. There, she talked about meeting Betty White and how "passive-aggressive" she behaved around her.
"I know everybody loves her. They loved her so much," Struthers said. "They signed petitions to get her to guest host 'Saturday Night Live.' I know all that. I didn't have such a great experience with her." Struthers felt that, with Betty White "gone," she could freely speak up about her less-than-stellar experience with White.
Specifically, Struthers remembered being at White's house when they were working on a game show pilot. One of White's housekeepers then brought a plate of snacks for her guests, Struthers among them.
"Then the plate was set in the middle, and it was cookies, I think," Struthers said. "So, I reached for a cookie, and she said in front of everyone, 'Oh, I wouldn't do that if I were you, dear. You don't need a cookie.' Totally fat-shamed me in front of the rest of the people in the room. And I thought, 'Gosh, that's not nice.'"
All In The Family
While that was indeed not a nice experience to have, this was far from Struthers' first round with fat shaming. She also recalled how All in the Family creator Norman Lear chose her for the role. According to her, Lear told her she was picked despite her not being the funniest person who auditioned for the part of Gloria Stivic. Struthers asked why did they pick them instead, and what Lear said left her dumbfounded.
"We thought Archie was a lot to swallow for the American audiences with his bigotry and his social slurs," Struthers recalls Lear telling her. "So, we thought we could soften him up if he had a soft spot in his heart for his daughter, and she could be daddy's little girl. So, we hired you because, just like Carroll O'Connor, you have blue eyes and a fat face."
Thankfully for Sally Struthers, not everyone was terrible at the All in the Family set. Guest star Bea Arthur, who also starred in The Golden Girls with Betty White, was a delight to be around. "Bea Arthur comes in, and she's a force of nature," Struthers recalled. Struthers then said how Arthur was "filthier than a drunken sailor" and that she would make everyone laugh while rehearsing.
