Vicki Lawrence says CBS executives wanted to replace her on The Carol Burnett Show because her early performances were rough. She only recently learned from Burnett that the show’s star had refused.
In a November 10 interview with PEOPLE, the 77-year-old recalled Burnett’s response: “She’s a diamond in the rough and we’re keeping her.” Burnett has recounted the exchange several times, although Lawrence still wonders what she recognized in her.
Lawrence was 18 when she joined the variety show’s cast, staying for all 11 seasons from its September 1967 premiere through 1978. She won an Emmy for her supporting performance in 1976.
She also found success as a singer during that run. “The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia,” written by her then-husband Bobby Russell, reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1973.
A Fan Letter Put Lawrence in Front of Carol Burnett
During her senior year at Morningside High School in Inglewood, California, Lawrence entered the Miss Fireball of Inglewood contest. A newspaper article noted her resemblance to a young Burnett, prompting Lawrence to send the comedian a letter and the clipping.
Burnett told PBS Wisconsin in 2020 that the letter arrived the day of the contest in January 1967. She persuaded her husband, producer Joe Hamilton, to attend, and they watched Lawrence win. That summer, Lawrence auditioned for a recurring role as Burnett’s younger sister, whom Burnett and Harvey Korman’s married characters would be raising.
Lawrence had imagined becoming a dental hygienist and marrying a successful dentist. Instead, she entered television with little professional comedy experience and learned while performing before a national audience.
Burnett remembered her as initially shy and credited Korman with teaching her accents, handling props and listening to fellow performers. Lawrence called the experience the “Harvard School of Comedy” in a separate November 10 interview with WBGO, where she praised Burnett’s kindness and support.
Mama Took Lawrence From Sketch Comedy to Her Own Sitcom
Lawrence’s best-known character emerged in “The Family” sketches. She played Thelma Harper, or Mama, whose blunt judgments and arguments with daughter Eunice drove the comedy. Burnett played Eunice, with Korman as her husband, Ed Higgins.
Although Lawrence was considerably younger than Burnett, Mama’s makeup, costumes and sharp manner helped her portray the older woman’s mother.
The family returned in the 1982 television special Eunice, followed by Mama’s Family on NBC in 1983. After its network cancellation, the sitcom returned in first-run syndication in 1986, eventually completing six seasons before ending in 1990.
Burnett and Lawrence Reunited at Dinner and on Palm Royale
Lawrence shared a dinner photograph with Burnett on Instagram on May 18, thanking Burnett’s husband, Brian Miller, for the meal. As USA TODAY reported, fans and fellow entertainers celebrated the reunion and their continuing friendship.
Their partnership continued onscreen in the second season of Apple TV’s Palm Royale, with Lawrence playing Lotte, the mother of Burnett’s Norma Dellacorte. The casting placed them in familiar mother-and-daughter roles.
“Being with Vicki again was like old times,” Burnett told Parade in December 2025. Showrunner Abe Sylvia had suggested bringing Lawrence into the cast before Burnett could propose the same idea.
Lawrence Brings Her Two-Woman Show to New Jersey
Vicki Lawrence and Mama: A Two-Woman Show marks its 25th anniversary this year. Created in 2001, the production opens with Lawrence’s autobiographical stories before she becomes Mama for a second half built around the character’s outspoken take on current subjects.
George Street Playhouse will present the show at the Elizabeth Ross Johnson Theater in New Brunswick, New Jersey, on November 13 at 7:30 p.m. and November 14 at 2 p.m.
Her published schedule lists these as the final performances of the stage show in 2026, with additional theater engagements and convention appearances already announced for 2027.