WhileThe Golden Girlsfeatured a group of friends, the cast was not quite as warm as their characters were. Having run for seven seasons from 1985 to 1992, the sitcom was extremely unique and set itself apart by focusing on four older women living out their golden years together. It received both critical and audience acclaim during its run, earning 11 Emmy Awards and four Golden Globes. Tragically, all four majorGolden Girlscast members, Betty White (Rose Nylund), Bea Arthur (Dorothy Zbornak), Rue McClanahan (Blanche Devereaux), and Estelle Getty (Sophia Petrillo) have since passed on, having left their marks on Hollywood.
While the main characters were friends inThe Golden Girls, their actors were not. In an interview withThe Hollywood Reporter, co-producer Marsha Posner Williamsconfirmed that White and Arthur could not stand each other, confirming long-standing rumors of a feud. While they remained “professional” during production, they hated each other off-screen, with Arthur going so far as to vigorously insult White simply for going to the grocery store. Williams was forced to play mediator for the pair. Check out Williams' comments below:
When that red light was on [and the show was filming], there were no more professional people than those women, but when the red light was off, those twocouldn’t warm up to each other if they were cremated together. [Arthur] used to call me at home and say, “I just ran into that c*** at the grocery store. I’m gonna write her a letter,” and I said, “Bea, just get over it for crying out loud. Just get past it.”
I remember, my husband and I went over to Bea’s house a couple of times for dinner. Within 30 seconds of walking in the door, the c-word came out.
What This Means For The Golden Girls' Legacy
Rumors Of Their Feud Have Been Circulating For Decades
The feud was a massive challenge for the producers to navigate, even if the two were amicable on set. Later in the interview, Williams explained that three members of the cast were interested in pursuing another season of the show, only for Arthur to dismiss the idea outright, leading to its ending.Arthur’s decision to leaveThe Golden Girlsreportedly came becauseshe feared that the show’s quality was steadily declining, but it could very well have been related to her hatred for White, and Williams implied as much in her interview.
Word of their feud has been persistent sinceGolden Girlsfirst began, though most stories involve Arthur having a one-sided disdain for White. Part of the reason for the conflict was that Arthur reportedly believed in maintaining a strict separation from the viewers, whileWhite loved interacting with the studio audience, even during filming. It made for a tense atmosphere, as Arthur firmly believed that White was ruining an essential part of the industry.
Our Take On White And Arthur’s Golden Girls Feud
It Does Not Diminish The Show’s Legacy
It is fundamentally disappointing to know that the two actors had such a difficult time on set. The idea of feuding stars spending so many years together is always painful, especially when the two played close friends on a show. While they were certainly acting and did not necessarily need to forge a real connection, they were also two human beings forced to interact while one regularly insulted the other simply for existing. That they were forced to interact is tragic, asThe Golden Girlswas about friendship, but its cast simply could not get along.
