This Was Betty White's Last Public Appearance
The entertainment world is in mourning as actor Betty White has died at the age of 99. First reported by TMZ, the cultural icon reportedly died in her home on December 31. With her roles in "The Golden Girls," "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," and "Hot in Cleveland," White left an extraordinary impression amongst the entire entertainment landscape.
White's final years, however, unfortunately, came amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. With lockdowns, mask mandates, and social distancing marring her last years, the amiable White was seemingly relegated to lying low. In fact, White's rep, Jeff Witjas, confirmed to TMZ in May that White's in-person interactions were at a minimum.
Spending time in isolation, the outlet noted that she would make phone calls, write letters, and have limited visits with her inner circle. And despite being an animal advocate, she had no pets at the time — aside from a few ducks on her property that would say hello to her every day, as TMZ noted. So with Betty White remaining in isolation for so long, this begs the question — when exactly was her last public appearance?
Betty White's attended the 2018 Emmy Awards
According to Us Weekly, Betty White's final public appearance came at the 70th Primetime Emmy Awards in 2018. There, she received a standing ovation as she was introduced by Alec Baldwin and Kate McKinnon. During her speech, she stated, "Little did I dream then that I would be here and it's incredible that I'm still in this business... and you are still putting up with me."
"I'm thanking you," she further continued. "It's incredible that you can stay in a career this long and still have people put up with you. I wish they did that at home!" And speaking of home, that's where White spent most of her final years as the COVID-19 pandemic overtook the world. When she wasn't writing letters and making calls to friends and family, per TMZ, she bided her time through a number of other activities.
People reported on December 28 (just three days before her untimely death) that White was living "a quiet life" in California and kept busy playing card games, solving crossword puzzles, as well as watching sports (her favorite was golf!), "Jeopardy!" and animal documentaries.