George Clooney has praised Bea Arthur for making him laugh “harder than anybody” when he had a guest role on The Golden Girls.
George Clooney has praised Bea Arthur for making him laugh “harder than anybody”.
The 64-year-old actor guest starred on The Golden Girls as a detective named Bobby Hopkins back in 1987 and he’s singled out the late actress – who died aged 89 in 2009 – for particular praise during his stint on the beloved sitcom.
In a trailer for The Golden Girls: 40 Years of Laughter and Friendship – Special Edition of 20/20, shared exclusively with People magazine, George opens it by exclaiming: “The Golden Girls!”
Sheryl Lee Ralph then asked: “Who wasn’t a fan of The Golden Girls?”
As archive footage of stars Betty White, Rue McClanahan and Bea as Rose Nylund, Blanche Devereaux and Dorothy Zobrnak respectively then appeared on screen, George and Cheryl hailed the latter as of The Golden Girls’ most relatable characters.
As a clip from his own appearance was shown, George noted: “She made me laugh harder than anybody.”
This isn’t the first time the Wolfs actor has praised “filthy funny” Bea.
He said on The Drew Barrymore Show in 2022: “Bea Arthur was the funniest person in the world. They were all hysterically funny, but Bea Arthur really made me laugh.
“She was filthy, filthy funny. Filthy. But great.
“They could get away with stuff that if those women were 30, they could’ve never said on network television. But they could do anything they wanted, and they would get away with it. It was so much fun.
“That was a funny show to work on.”
The Golden Girls ran for seven seasons from 1985 to 1992 and in September, the programme – which earned a huge 86 Emmy Award nominations over the years – celebrated 40 years since it debuted on NBC.
The Golden Girls: 40 Years of Laughter and Friendship — Special Edition of 20/20 will air next week.
Meanwhile, George – who has eight-year-old twins Alexander and Ella with wife Amal – recently explained that he left Hollywood for France so his children could have a “fair shake” at life.
He told Esquire magazine: “You know, we live on a farm in France. A good portion of my life growing up was on a farm, and as a kid I hated the whole idea of it.
“But now, for them, it’s like – they’re not on their iPads, you know? They have dinner with grown-ups and have to take their dishes in. They have a much better life.
“I was worried about raising our kids in LA, in the culture of Hollywood. I felt like they were never going to get a fair shake at life.”
George Clooney reflects on Golden Girls stint
