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Tag: Struthers
Sally Struthers Blasts Norman Lear, Tried to Leave ‘All in the Family’
- Sally Struthers, who played Gloria on All in the Family, opened up about her unpleasant memories of creator Norman Lear
- Struthers said that Lear never invited her over for dinner and that he told her he only cast her because she had “blue eyes and a fat face”
- The actress also said she spent $40,000 in legal fees trying to leave All in the Family after the fifth season, but lost and returned for three more seasons
Sally Struthers is getting honest about her time on the series All in the Family and showrunner Norman Lear. On the Jan. 13 episode of Let’s Talk About That! With Larry Saperstein and Jacob Bellotti, the actress, 77, opened up about working with the acclaimed producer, who died in 2023 at age 101.
Struthers told the podcast hosts that she felt comfortable opening up about him now because “he’s gone.” She noted, “I wasn’t a huge fan of his.”
“All those years on the show, Norman and his wife would have dinner parties,” she said. They would invite the other stars of the show — Carroll O’Connor, Jean Stapleton and Rob Reiner — and their spouses often. Struthers revealed, “I wasn’t, in eight years, invited to his home. It didn’t feel good.”
From left: Norman Lear, Jean Stapleton and Sally Struthers in 1978.
CBS via Getty
Struthers also shared an upsetting exchange she said she had with Lear during the show’s first season, when the series was first finding success. “He was on the sound stage watching us rehearse, and we were on a break,” she said.
“I said, ‘I can’t believe that we’re doing this and we’re about to hit number one on the air,’ ” she remembered. After noting how he “saw so many young ladies” for her role of Gloria — including Reiner’s then-wife Penny Marshall — she asked Lear, “Was I really the funniest one? And he said, ‘No.’ ”
Lear said that when they were casting the show, they thought it made more sense to have Gloria be a daddy’s girl because O’Connor’s Archie Bunker “was a lot to swallow for American audiences with his bigotry and his social sluts.” They could “soften him up” if he had a “soft spot in his heart for his daughter.”
She remembered that Lear told her, “So we hired you because just like Carroll O’Connor, you have blue eyes and a fat face.” Struthers said she didn’t know how to respond to that and walked away.
From left: Rob Reiner, Jean Stapleton, Carroll O’Connor and Sally Struthers in ‘All in the Family’ in 1976.
CBS via Getty
Later in the episode, Struthers said that even though she won two Emmys for the series, she was “fourth banana” on the show after the other three leads. She said the show’s “older, brilliant Jewish faith writers” knew how to write for the other characters, but not for “a young lady.”
“I usually had about three lines per show that said, ‘I’ll help you set the table, Ma,’ ‘Michael, where are you going?’ and ‘Oh, Daddy, stop it.’ And then the next week I’d have the three same lines in a different order. And if they literally didn’t know what to do with me in a scene, they’d have me go upstairs to take a bath or wash my hair. It was very frustrating.”
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After five seasons, she took her contract to arbitration in hopes of leaving the show, she shared. She hired a lawyer, but after spending $40,000 on legal fees during arbitration, she lost. “I went back and had three more seasons, but they were by far the most fun for me. Because finally, they had Mike and Gloria have a baby, they had us move next door into the house that [the] Jeffersons lived in,” she said.
Sally Struthers at the 2024 Emmy Awards.
Monica Schipper/WireImage
All in the Family ran from 1971 to 1979 and Struthers appeared in 182 episodes. She also appeared in the spinoff Archie Bunker’s Place and her own short-lived spinoff Gloria. She also found TV fans once again decades later for her role as Babette on Gilmore Girls.
Despite her mixed feelings about the series, Struthers said that part of her longevity as an actress is because she was “lucky enough to be on a groundbreaking national television series.” She reunited with Reiner in early 2024 for a tribute to Lear and the series at the delayed 2023 Emmy Awards.
Struthers still does a lot of theater in addition to her TV work in shows like A Man on the Inside, and she said audiences are still “curious” to come see her in person at 77.
She joked, “Maybe because they love you or like you, but just as much because ‘Wait a minute, is she still alive? Let’s go see what she looks like now.’ ”
Sally Struthers, who played Gloria Stivic on the hit sitcom “All in the Family,” recently made headlines for blasting the show’s creator, Norman Lear. In a candid interview, Struthers revealed that she had tried to leave the show multiple times during its run.Struthers claimed that Lear was difficult to work with and often clashed with the cast members. She also expressed frustration with the direction of her character, Gloria, and felt that her talents were being underutilized.
Despite her efforts to leave the show, Struthers ultimately stayed on until the series ended in 1979. However, her comments have sparked a debate among fans of the show, with some siding with Lear and others supporting Struthers’ decision to speak out.
As the controversy continues to unfold, it remains to be seen how Lear will respond to Struthers’ accusations. In the meantime, fans of “All in the Family” are left wondering what could have been if Gloria had indeed left the show.
Tags:
Sally Struthers, Norman Lear, All in the Family, TV show controversy, Sally Struthers news, Norman Lear feud, TV industry drama
#Sally #Struthers #Blasts #Norman #Lear #Leave #FamilySally Struthers says she was once ‘fat-shamed’ by Betty White
CNN
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It turns out not everyone loved “American’s grandmother,” Betty White.
During a conversation on the podcast “Let’s Talk About That! With Larry Saperstein and Jacob Bellotti,” actress Sally Struthers shared an experience she said she had years ago with White, who died in 2021 at the age of 99.
The “All in the Family” star acknowledged how cherished White had been during her life, with Stuthers saying people “loved so much.”
“They signed petitions to get her to guest host ‘Saturday Night Live,’” Struthers said. “I know all that. I didn’t have such a great experience with her.”
Struthers described White as a “very passive-aggressive woman.”
She went on to recount a story about visiting White’s home to work on a new game show, and White asked her housekeeper to bring them a bite to eat.
Struthers said a plate of cookies was brought out and set before people gathered at a table.
“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,’” Struthers recalled.
The hosts of the podcast reacted with surprise.
“Totally fat-shamed me in front of the rest of the people in the room,” Struthers added. “And I thought, ‘Gosh, that’s not nice.’ ”
She had kinder things to say about White’s “Golden Girls” co-star, Bea Arthur.
Years before that show became a hit, Arthur guest-starred as Maude, a cousin of Jean Stapleton’s Edith Bunker on “All in the Family.”
Struthers called Arthur “a force of nature” and the character was spun off in a series titled “Maude,” which ran from from 1972 to 1978 on CBS.
Arthur died of cancer in 2009. She was 86.
In a recent interview, actress Sally Struthers revealed that she was once “fat-shamed” by her former co-star Betty White. Struthers, best known for her role as Gloria Stivic on the hit sitcom “All in the Family,” opened up about the hurtful comments she received from White while working together on the show.According to Struthers, White made several disparaging remarks about her weight, which left her feeling self-conscious and insecure. Struthers shared that the experience was incredibly hurtful, and it took a toll on her confidence.
Despite the hurtful comments, Struthers emphasized that she holds no ill will towards White and understands that their interactions were a product of the time in which they worked together. She also expressed gratitude for the opportunity to work with White and learn from her as a fellow actress.
This revelation sheds light on the prevalence of fat-shaming in Hollywood and serves as a reminder of the importance of body positivity and acceptance. It serves as a reminder that even those in the spotlight can be affected by hurtful comments about their appearance.
Ultimately, Struthers’ story serves as a powerful reminder that words can have a lasting impact, and it’s crucial to treat others with kindness and compassion, regardless of their size.
Tags:
Sally Struthers, fat-shamed, Betty White, celebrity news, body positivity, Hollywood gossip, weight discrimination, body image, self-acceptance, entertainment industry
#Sally #Struthers #fatshamed #Betty #WhiteSally Struthers Says She Was ‘Fat-Shamed’ by Betty White
Sally Struthers is opening up about some negative memories of Betty White.
On the Jan. 13 episode of Let’s Talk About That! With Larry Saperstein and Jacob Bellotti, the 77-year-old actress spoke about some of her past interactions with White, who died in 2021 at 99 years old.
The All in the Family star told the hosts that the house used for the exterior of the Golden Girls house was “up the street” from where she lived in Los Angeles’ Brentwood neighborhood. Then, she said that “now that she’s gone,” she wanted to talk about White.
“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.” She called her a “very passive-aggressive woman.”
Sally Struthers in 2018.
Maury Phillips/Getty
The Gilmore Girls actress said that once, she went to White’s house to work on a pilot for a new game show. White asked her housekeeper to bring them something to eat.
“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.’ ”
The hosts were shocked. “Totally fat-shamed me in front of the rest of the people in the room,” Struthers said. “And I thought, ‘Gosh, that’s not nice.’ ”
Struthers had much more positive memories of another Golden Girls star, however: Bea Arthur. Arthur guest-starred on All in the Family during the show’s second season as Maude, the cousin of Jean Stapleton’s Edith Bunker.
The cast of ‘All in the Family.’ From left: Rob Reiner, Jean Stapleton, Carroll O’Connor and Sally Struthers.
CBS/Getty
“Bea Arthur comes in and she’s a force of nature,” Struthers told the hosts of the star, who died in 2009 at age 86. She remembered that before filming an episode, the cast would do a run-through for the producers and people from the network. “Sometimes they’d look up. But you couldn’t count on them for a lot of laughs ’cause they were too busy making sure we said the words that were on the page.”
But Arthur was “filthier than a drunken sailor” and “put all sorts of expletives in her lines to shock these men,” the actress shared. Arthur ended up starring as Maude in an eponymous All in the Family spin-off before joining Golden Girls.
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Struthers also told the hosts that she would often run into Arthur at the grocery store and end up laughing with her in the aisles. “She would trash everyone we ever knew,” the actress remembered. “I loved how filthy she was.”
Struthers, who won two Emmys for All in the Family, most recently starred in A Man on the Inside with Ted Danson. She also starred as Babette on Gilmore Girls and has worked widely as a voice actress on series including Dinosaurs and TaleSpin, in addition to a recent theatrical production of An Old-Fashioned Family Murder.
In a recent interview, actress Sally Struthers opened up about being “fat-shamed” by her former co-star Betty White. Struthers, best known for her role as Gloria Stivic on the hit TV show “All in the Family,” revealed that White made hurtful comments about her weight during their time working together.Struthers shared that White, who played the lovable Rose Nylund on “The Golden Girls,” would often make jokes about her size on set. “Betty would always make comments about how I needed to watch what I ate or hit the gym more often,” Struthers said. “It really hurt my feelings and made me self-conscious about my body.”
Despite the negative comments, Struthers emphasized that she still has a great deal of respect for White as an actress and a person. “I know Betty didn’t mean any harm by her remarks, but they definitely had an impact on me,” she said.
This revelation sheds light on the issue of fat-shaming in Hollywood and serves as a reminder that even celebrities are not immune to hurtful comments about their appearance. It serves as a reminder to think twice before making remarks about someone’s weight or body shape, as words can have a lasting impact. Let this be a lesson to treat others with kindness and respect, regardless of their size.
Tags:
Sally Struthers, Betty White, fat-shaming, celebrity news, Hollywood gossip, body positivity, weight stigma, entertainment industry, celebrity feuds
#Sally #Struthers #FatShamed #Betty #White
